Jagan has future only if he frees himself from coterie 'misleading' him: YSRCP supremo's former aide Vijaysai

Hyderabad: Former top aide V Vijaysai Reddy has offered a word of advice to YSRCP Chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Once a powerful lieutenant since the formation of YSRCP, Vijaysai Reddy has advised his former leader that "for Jagan to have a future, he needs to break free from his coterie."

Vijaysai Reddy, who recently quit politics and resigned from the party, claimed that Jagan has become surrounded by a circle second rung leaders who are negatively affecting his leadership. On Wednesday, Vijaysai Reddy appeared before the CID in Vijayawada as part of an investigation into the Kakinada Port irregularities case. Following his interrogation, he told reporters that Jagan has changed significantly since their time working together.

He explained that he distanced himself from the party because Jagan began listening to those around him instead of trusted advisors. "After realizing I no longer had a place in Jagan's heart, my heart was broken," he said, adding that this was the reason he gave Jagan when announcing his departure.

Vijaysai Reddy emphasized that a leader should not listen to hearsay, warning that "if they do, the leader, party, and people will suffer."

Despite being given numerous positions within the party, Vijaysai Reddy said he could no longer tolerate the mounting insults he faced. He revealed that Jagan had accused him of succumbing to temptations and losing credibility. However, he firmly maintained that he did not yield to any such influences — instead, it was Jagan himself who had changed. "Once I had devotion towards the leader. But now my devotion is only towards god. Jagan still has people's admiration"

Regarding the Kakinada port case, Vijaysai Reddy asserted that KV Rao filed the complaint against him with malicious intent as part of a larger political conspiracy. During questioning, CID officials asked if he knew KV Rao, to which he responded that he had no acquaintance with Rao on social or economic matters. They also inquired about the transfer of shares from Aurobindo Group.

Vijaysai Reddy clarified that his only connection to Aurobindo Group was through his daughter's marriage into the family that runs the company, emphasizing he had no financial relationships with them. He acknowledged knowing Vikrant Reddy but denied involvement in any transactions. Through common friends, he discovered that KV Rao had implicated him at the direction of a senior official, further supporting his claim of a politically motivated case.

Kakinada Seaports Limited (KSPL)'s former CMD, Karnati Venkateswara Rao, popularly known as KV Rao in trade and industry circles, in December last year lodged a complaint with CID accusing robbing his family-owned enterprise, Kakinada Infrastructure Holdings Pvt. Ltd. (KIHPL), of its 41.12% share in KSPL. Based on Rao's complaint, CID registered a case against Vijayasai Reddy, his son-in-law P Sarath Chandra Reddy, and another YSRCP senior leader, YV Subba Reddy's son, Y Vikranth Reddy, auditing firm PKF Sridhar & Santhanam LLP, and ARIPL.

In his complaint, Rao claimed that threats of his own and his family's arrest compelled him to sign agreements that facilitated the transfer of shares in favour of Aurobindo Realty & Infrastructure in which Sarathchadra Reddy is a director. He claimed that a massive fraud took place, depriving KIHPL of assets worth Rs 2,500 crore for just Rs 494 crore and KSEZ of assets valued at Rs 1,109 crore for just Rs 12 crore.