JOIN USJagan gets hero's welcome
Scores of YSR Congress workers swarmed the stretch between the Chanchalguda Central Prison and Jaganmohan Reddy’s Lotus Pond residence on Tuesday to cheer the release of their leader after a 16-month incarceration in disproportionate assets cases.
Supporters started converging on the Chanchalguda jail on Tuesday morning to catch a glimpse of Jagan. This led to a stampede as Jagan came out of the jail at 4 pm. He waved at the supporters, even shook hands with many, before being whisked away by the police in a bullet-proof black van to his residence.
The supporters were seen sloganeering and breaking into a dance outside the prison. Jagan’s convoy took more than two hours to wade through the human sea along the 2-km ride.
A grand welcome awaited him at home, with mother Y S Vijayamma directing cooks to prepare dishes of Jagan’s choice.
“I pleaded with jail authorities to allow him home-cooked food. He needed a mother’s attention,” Vijayamma told reporters. Several well-wishers and relatives had gathered at the Lotus Pond residence. Jagan was received by Vijayamma, wife, Bharathi, and two daughters, sister Sharmeela and brother-in-law Anil Kumar.
Political analysts said Jagan’s release would adversely affect the Telugu Desam Party’s (TDP) prospects in the Seemandhra region. Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K Chandrasekhar Rao shocked everyone on Monday by predicting 140 Assembly seats for the YSRC, “with Jagan, a mass leader, out of the jail.”
The YSRC has already made a strong case for Samaikyandhra. Its 18 MLAs and two MPs have resigned. The YSRC is the only political party to have openly asserted its stand on the division of Andhra Pradesh. Some TDP and Congress leaders are also lobbying for Samaikyandhra.
In an immediate fallout of Jagan’s release, several Congress and TDP legislators are likely to defect to the YSRC. Jagan will also hold a yatra in the Seemandhra and Telangana regions to shore up public support.
Jagan was granted conditional bail on Monday by a special CBI court. His relatives Yeshvanth Reddy and Avinash Reddy reached the CBI court by 11 am on Tuesday and furnished surety bonds.
After the formalities were done, a court staffer submitted a release order to Chanchalguda Jail Superintendent Saidaiah, paving the way for Jagan’s release.