Jagan attacked: YSRCP seeks support for central probe

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) is meeting political leaders in the capital seeking support for their demand for a CBI or judicial probe into the recent attack on its chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy at Visakhapatnam airport.

It accused TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to be behind the incident.

After a meeting with Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday, the party leaders on Wednesday met Opposition leaders like CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury and veteran leader Sharad Yadav seeking their support.

Reddy was attacked by J Srinivas, who worked in a cafeteria at the Visakhapatnam airport, on October 25 with a knife.

TDP leaders rubbished the YSR Congress' allegations of a conspiracy by Naidu and bias in police investigation, claiming the latter was trying to create unrest in the state.

As the state Assembly elections are to be held along with Lok Sabha polls in the first half of next year, YSRCP and other parties are raising the pitch.

YSRCP feels that this is an issue on which they could corner the ruling TDP in Andhra Pradesh.

However, TDP leaders question the claims saying who will attack an Opposition leader especially when elections are near.

"They are creating unrest in the state by whipping up passion," a senior TDP MP said.

V Vijaya Sai Reddy, YSR Congress Rajya Sabha leader, said, "the direct attack on Jagan is part of a big criminal conspiracy and was pre-planned. There is a suspicion that the chief minister was involved in the conspiracy."

In a letter submitted to the Union home minister, the YSRCP chief sought an immediate intervention to address the "motivated and unfair" investigation into the attack on him.