Jagan takes ‘warring’ leaders to task

Asks Anil Kumar, Kakani to bury hatchet & work for party; both deny reports of differences
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (File Photo)
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (File Photo)

VIJAYAWADA: The alleged turf war between two leaders from Nellore district — former minister P Anil Kumar Yadav and the newly inducted minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy — reached Tadepalli with the party president and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy taking serious view of the issue which came to fore after the Cabinet overhaul.

The duo were flexing muscles by holding separate rallies and meetings in Nellore town on the same day in an apparent show of strength and the banners of those supporting Kakani were torn away recently. As the two leaders did not mend their ways even after senior leaders asking them to maintain restraint, the Chief Minister reportedly summoned them on Wednesday.

It is learnt that Balineni Srinivas Reddy, who was appointed as the regional coordinator for Nellore, met Jagan and discussed the ongoing turf war between the two. During the meeting, the Chief Minister decided to speak to the two leaders personally, sources said.The two leaders met Jagan separately during which they were asked to bury the hatchet and work towards strengthening the party.

Emerging out of the meeting, Kakani said there was a conspiracy to create a rift between him and Anil and dismissed reports of differences between them. “Anil is like a brother to me and I don’t have any differences with him. All the reports of a cold war are the creation of the media,’’ he said, adding that Anil had held a meeting in Nellore since he is the local MLA. Asked why Anil was not present in the rally taken out by him, Kakani said the former minister was busy with his own meeting his followers.

He said Anil was called (by the CM) as he was appointed as the regional coordinator of Tirupati and he was briefed about his responsibilities. On the other hand, Kakani said he called on the Chief Minister as he could not meet the latter ever since taking charge as the minister.

Anil, too, toed the same line and said he has no differences with Kakani. “I do not have any differences with Kakani. I came here to thank the Chief Minister for appointing me as a regional coordinator,’’ he said, adding that if any flexes were removed when he was minister, it was done by the civic authorities, not at his behest. “We all will work to strengthen the party. All the ministers, who were dropped, will become ministers after the YSRC comes back to power,’’ he asserted.

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