YSR Congress party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy came down to Pulivendula in Kadapa district on Monday to pay homage to his father and former chief minister late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy at his Samadhi.
This was his first visit to his home constituency after the YSRCP suffered a humiliating defeat in the recent ZPTC by-election in the hands of the Telugu Desam Party.
On this occasion, Jagan also had a meeting with his party leaders and cadre on Monday.
He interacted with a select group of leaders, including MP Avinash Reddy, former Deputy CM Amjad Basha, YSRCP general secretary S.V. Satish Kumar Reddy, and a few local MLAs and MLCs.
So far so good. But his visit quickly drew criticism, as there were reports that the party workers and locals were forced to take VIP passes to meet Jagan.
This has sparked surprise among the party workers, many of whom accused the leadership of distancing itself from the rank-and-file.
Sources indicate that Jagan expressed deep frustration over the party’s loss of the ZPTC seat.
During the review meeting, only a handful of workers with valid passes were permitted to meet him, leading to heated arguments with security personnel at the venue.
Observers noted that Jagan appeared reserved and visibly upset, further fuelling speculation about internal dissent and declining grassroots connect in the party’s traditional stronghold.
As the reports of the party leaders and workers were issued VIP passes to meet Jagan, the TDP quickly grabbed the chance to attack Jagan. TDP general secretary and state IT minister mocked Jagan on social media over the VIP pass drama.
Using the local Kadapa dialect for effect, Lokesh wrote: “Ori, nee pass goola! We’ve heard of VIP passes for movie functions, but issuing passes to meet your own party workers in your own constituency? Never heard of it, never seen it!”
Lokesh’s remarks quickly went viral, with supporters of both the TDP and the YSRCP engaging in a social media slugfest.