Jagan formally launches YSR Congress Party

Hyderabad: Former Congress parliamentarian Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy formally launched YSR Congress Party and unveiled its flag at Idupulapaya in his home district of Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh, on Saturday.

Accompanied by his mother Vijayalakshmi, former legislator, and other family members, the young leader launched the party at the grave of his father and late chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who was popularly known by his initials YSR.

YSR died in a helicopter crash Sep 2, 2009.

The white-green-blue flag of the party has the photo of YSR in the middle with symbols of various welfare schemes launched by him around it.

Hundreds of supporters, including Congress MP Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy and about a dozen legislators supporting Jagan, as he is popularly called, were present at the launch of the new party.

The event was kept a low-key affair in view of the code of conduct for elections to the state legislative council.

The unveiling of party flag was held despite the election commission issuing a notice in the morning, asking Jagan not to go ahead with the programme.

Jagan's camp, however, informed the poll panel that it was only a family function.

Jagan along with his mother quit the Congress party in November 2010, and announced the name of the new party on Friday at Jaggampet in East Godavari district.

"The YSR Congress Party will wipe out every tear of the poor," he said at a public meeting.

The 38-year-old leader said the party would announce its policies after the two-day brain storming session at Idupulapaya after the by-elections to the Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula assembly seats in June.

Jagan and his mother resigned from the Congress party, parliament and the state assembly respectively, alleging that the leadership was trying to create rift in the family by offering a state ministerial berth to his uncle Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy.

Vivekananda Reddy joined the state cabinet on Dec 1, 2010.

Jagan, who aspired to be the chief minister, was sidelined after the death of his father when K. Rosaiah was named the chief minister. He resigned from the party after the leadership picked up his rival N. Kiran Kumar Reddy as successor to Rosaiah, who resigned on health grounds.