NEW DELHI: Top Congress leaders on Tuesday rushed to reclaim YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s legacy, hailing him for his contribution to the party, UPA-II and Andhra Pradesh. What’s even more interesting, they “reinstated”, so to speak, the late leader’s “soul mate” and Rajya Sabha member KVP Ramachander Rao back in the State Congress.The politically significant moves came at the launch of a photo-book titled, YSR - Man of The People, edited by acclaimed photo-journalist Raghu Rai. The book, a compilation of about 150 photographs taken by Raghu Rai’s student Ravinder Reddy, comes in the backdrop of mounting criticism against YS Rajasekhara Reddy from within the State Congress and inclusion of his name as a co-conspirator in the FIR filed by the CBI which is probing the alleged ill-gotten wealth of his son YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Speakers at the function -- Ghulam Nabi Azad, Motilal Vora, Digvijay Singh and Vayalar Ravi -- sent an unmistakable message to the anti-YSR group in the State Congress: shut up and own up YSR and his contribution.Terming YSR’s services to the party as “immense”, they pointed out that he had played a significant role in bringing the UPA back to power at the Centre. In the same breath, they described KVP’s guidance to the party leadership in Andhra Pradesh as crucial, particularly in tiding over the present crisis. Azad, who is also the incharge of party affairs in Andhra Pradesh, advised the State Congress to take KVP’s guidance. Motilal Vora seconded the view and Vayalar Ravi endorsed it. The indications were clear -- YSR is a hero not just for the masses but also of the party and secondly, KVP has the blessings of the party high command.Undavalli Arun Kumar, MP, recalled that KVP had approached party chief Sonia Gandhi on June 21 and sought her permission for publishing the book and she had given the nod.Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarsinhma, PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana and several leaders from the State were present at the function. In a clear tussle over the legacy of YSR, his son Jagan did not attend the meeting. However, his brother YS Vivekananda Reddy was present. ’YSR – man of the people’, the photo book on YS Rajasekhara Reddy, has about 150 pictures of the late leader. They were all taken by Hyderabad-based Ravinder Reddy, a student of internationally acclaimed photo-journalist Raghu Rai. Ravinder Reddy shot over 3,000 photographs of YSR between 2004 and 2009 and short-listed 300 for the book. His mentor Raghu Rai picked up 150 of them were publication. Raghu Rai agreed to lend his name to the book on the request of Ravinder Reddy. The initiative for publishing the book was taken by YSR’s “soul-mate” and Congress leader KVP Ramachander Rao. In fact, the book was ready for publication much before YSR’s son YS Jagan Mohan Reddy walked out of the Congress in Dec, last year. But it was delayed following the exit of Jagan from Congress and the subsequent turmoil in the State Congress.
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