NARASANNAPET (Srikakulam): With Jagan Mohan Reddy engrossed in a badminton game at Chanchalguda, his mother Vijayamma and sister Sharmila got down to working up a sympathy wave in Narasannapet in Srikakulam district Wednesday.Mother and daughter hit the road early, explaining to people in town and country how the late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s family is being “hounded” by the Congress, using corruption allegations as a “ruse” to imprison the late leader’s son.The large crowd that collected at Narasannapet crossroads was dominated by the female element who gave a sympathetic ear as the ladies sentiment was purveyed in the tearful tones of a Tollywood weepie.The women came with lunch boxes and were seen discussing the lady’s kashtalu (tribulations).When Sharmila told them that she came to them as Rajanna’s daughter and Jagananna’s sister, the women went into hysterics.Some shed a tear of sympathy, and said they expected better from Soniamma.The more composed of them craned their necks to get a better view of Jagan’s media shy sister.Having delivered her stump speech, Sharmila held up a ceiling fan and rotated its blades to impress upon the gathering the symbol they have to look for in the ballot paper.Clad in her favourite green saree, Vijayamma endured some difficulty on her first day on the campaign trail.At the packed town square, she had to garland a statue of her husband but the crush left her vehicle no room to manoeuvre. She clambered to the top and spoke from there. Given the 360 degree spread of her audience, she had to pirouette to look them in the eye.She painted the CBI as the agency of evil.“Though Jagan Babu was cooperating with the CBI, he was arrested. He in fact asked the court to watch videotapes of the interrogation to see for itself whether or not he had cooperated.But the appeal went unheeded,” she said.She recalled her association with Narasannapet when she joined her husband’s padayatra in scorching summer of 2003. “I came then because my husband told me the people of Srikakulam are a nice lot,” she said.The family later hit the campaign trail in the Payakaraopeta Assembly constituency and continued their tirade against the Congress and TDP, asking the voters to teach them a lesson in the byelections.“My brother Jagan never committed any frauds and he has been with you for the last three years, trying to continue the welfare schemes initiated by my father even after his sudden demise.By casting your vote for the ‘fan’ symbol, give a clean chit to Jagan and ascertain his honesty.Bring the party to power and fulfil your desire to see him as chief minister,” Sharmila said.Her mother, on the other hand, sought to raise doubts over Rajasekhara Reddy’s death and alleged the CBI had arrested him only to hamper their party’s winning prospects.
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