rift-widens-in-jagan-s-family-cousin-asks-voters-not-to-bring-him-back-to-power

“Don’t vote for my brother’s party. Don’t bring him back to power,” was the unusual appeal made to the Andhra Pradesh voters by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s cousin sister Dr Narreddy Sunitha.

 

The bitterness in her tone reflects the widening rift in the high-profile political family ahead of the simultaneous elections to the assembly and Lok Sabha. Already, the Chief Minister is under attack by his estranged sister and the state Congress chief YS Sharmila on various omissions and commissions of his government.

 

Dr Sunitha’s father and Chief Minister’s paternal uncle YS Vivekananda Reddy was brutally murdered at his residence in Kadapa five years ago but the case is yet to be solved. Dr Sunitha and other family members, including Sharmila, have been alleging that the government has been deliberately obstructing the CBI investigation into the case to protect the murderers.

 

Sunitha, who has so far refrained from making public comments on the issue, appeared before the media for the first time and alleged that justice was being denied to her. She went on to appeal to the people not to bring his brother back to power.

 

She demanded a comprehensive probe into the role of her cousins –Jagan Mohan Reddy and Kadapa MP YS Avinash Reddy – in the murder of her father.

 

“The current rule is marked by political murders. This should not be the case. There should be justice,” she said.

 

“I first reached out to YS Jagan, as he is my brother and also the chief minister of the state. He first promised me he would do everything possible to deliver justice. But, what happened later is the obstruction of justice” Dr Sunitha said.

 

Vivekanand Reddy was murdered on March 15, 2019 at his residence in Kadapa, the family bastion. The CBI has been probing the murder and has filed multiple charge-sheets against eight accused.

 

Claiming that Kadapa MP and Jagan's cousin YS Avinash Reddy and his father Bhaskar Reddy are under the CBI scanner, Dr Sunitha alleged that they are being protected by those in power. She also urged the central agency to further investigate the whereabouts of Avinash Reddy during the time of the murder and his links to Jagan.

 

“Even after five years, the real conspirators behind the murder of my father are roaming free. The CBI which is probing the case has not been able to unravel the mystery behind the murder due to pulls and pressures,” she said.