The war of words between the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) intensified on Sunday with the term ‘backstabber’ becoming the most-discussed word of the day.
Rajya Sabha member and YSRCP candidate for the Nellore Lok Sabha seat, V. Vijaya Sai Reddy, flayed the party legislators Anam Ramanarayana Reddy (Venkatagiri), Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy (Nellore rural) and Mekapati Chandrasekhar Reddy (Udayagiri), along with fellow Rajya Sabha member Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy, for deserting the party at a crucial time ahead of the general elections.
Speaking to the media here, Mr. Vijaya Sai Reddy termed the above leaders ‘backstabbers’ for jumping ship to join the rival camp. “The party has done everything at its disposal for the legislators as well as the Rajya Sabha MP. What they have done in return is unpardonable,” he said, terming their move the “height of immorality and selfishness”.
Charge hurled back
Taking strong exception to the term, Mr. Ramanarayana Reddy, who is contesting as the TDP candidate for the Atmakur Assembly constituency, hurled back the blame on Mr. Vijaya Sai Reddy.
“As a chartered accountant looking after Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s properties, Mr. Sai Vijaya Reddy influenced his son Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy into taking up illegal business ventures through shell companies, which led to charges of money laundering against him, as corroborated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED). He is responsible for throwing the YSR family in a state of disarray,” he retorted.
The former Minister, who had served in the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and N. Kiran Kumar Reddy cabinets, said that politicians always had the option to shift parties in tune with the changing times and in the interest of the constituencies they represent. However, a chartered accountant hailing from a non-political background can offer no excuses for acts of ‘professional misconduct’, he added.
