Kommineni Srinivasa Rao

Leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh Assembly and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has been giving interviews in the last few days, as his historic mass outreach program, Praja Sankalpa Yatra reaches the fag end. In his responses to certain interesting questions in the interviews, YS Jagan maintained clarity and consistency, indicating his level of maturity. Contrary to the popular inclination of politicians to spread false propaganda through interviews, YS Jagan tried to express his heart out to reach out to the masses. Also, he did not use the interviews as platforms to abuse the other parties but to raise the shortcomings of Chandrababu's rule.

The interviews have been given in the context of successful completion of his Padayatra at Ichchapuram after having crisscrossed 3,600 km across the State. In the last year, YS Jagan hardly gave interviews. He did not try to spread lies by giving frequent interviews. Generally, during Padayatras of this scale, leaders would give interviews after completing the Padayatra in each district. In his latest interviews, YS Jagan seems to be speaking in a composed manner. For example, asked on being adamant to opinions on certain issues, he said, "After taking a decision following consultation with all stakeholders, yes, we don't look back. If we are called as adamant for this reason, it is how it is. I am available for consultations all the time. Probably there would be no one who would consult so many people before taking a decision."

Asked whether YSRCP would tie up with Pawan Kalyan, YS Jagan said he had never met the Jana Sena Chief. On the influence of Pawan factor in elections, he had explained it in great detail as to how the actor-politician would influence the voters in AP. Asked on his relations with Telangana CM KCR, the Opposition leader said except for congratulating KCR for his re-election in the recent polls, he had never met the Telangana CM.

Reiterating his stance on the Special Category Status (SCS), the YSRCP supremo said his party would offer support to any party that would grant the SCS to AP. He maintained that it wouldn't have been right to accuse someone soon after being attacked in the Visakhapatnam airport. With great composure, YS Jagan explained his experiences in padayatra while expressing confidence over the YSRCP's win in the upcoming polls.

YS Jagan said very rightly that the newspapers of today are trying to protect the governments from being exposed for corruption instead of breaking scandals. On the whole, the interview mirrors the ever-increasing maturity of YS Jagan. The highlight of the interview was his response, "God's grace and people's blessings," when asked if he would become the chief minister. Anyone who makes strides in the right direction would taste success, be it politicians or common citizens.

Also Read: YS Jagan Padayatra In Kurnool District: A Round-Up