TDP hits back, says Jagan yielded to pressure

HYDERABAD: The blame game between the YSR Congress and the Telugu Desam over the no-trust motion is continuing with each accusing the other of colluding with the ruling Congress.YSR Congress party leaders had alleged that the TDP and the Congress colluded with each other and enacted the drama of giving notice for moving a no-trust motion. The party also alleged that TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu had a secret deal with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel. Responding to the charge, the TDP retorted on Sunday that YSR Congress president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had received phone calls from top Congress leaders in Delhi which made him support the Congress in the speaker’s election.MLAs owing allegience to Jagan Mohan Reddy had met at his residence and on the following day all of them saw that the Congress’ candidate won with a comfortable majority, TDP MLA A Revanth Reddy alleged. “Jagan might have been afraid of possible IT raids or he might have colluded with the Congress high command and supported Congress nominees,” he said. Another TDP leader T Nageswara Rao said Jagan received calls from Pranab Mukherjee and Azad. Later, his loyalists supported the Congress in the speaker elections. Challenging Jagan to parade his MLAs before the governor and withdraw support to the government if he was really anti-Congress, the TDP made it cleaer that all the MLAs of the party would support the no-trust motion against Kiran Kumar Reddy. The opposition party reiterated its demand that the governor advise the speaker to reconvene the Assembly to debate the no-trust motion.Notwithstanding TDP’s assertions, YSR Congress activists burnt the Congress and TDP in effigies at the Panjagutta crossroads here accusing them of collusion.