A.P C.M YS Rajasekhara Reddy Missing

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Party prays for the ‘powerful CM who delivers’</b>
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Across state, all fingers crossed for a miracle




Always in demand, flying visits are YSR’s signature styleChopper crash, VVIP historyMorning: CM is safe, Evening: CM untraceablePraying for Reddy‘Chopper carrying CM airworthy’

Despair gripped the Congress party tonight as its leadership met to discuss its response to the continuing search for Andhra Chief Minister Y S R Reddy.

For the party, YSR is an invaluable asset, arguably its most powerful CM who bucked five years of incumbency to deliver to the Congress its largest chunk of MPs in the country — 33 of a total of 42. While state Finance Minister K Rosaiah is considered No. 2 in the government, there is no leader from the state — either in the state or the Centre — who comes close to YSR in terms of his stature and charisma, said Congress sources.

“We are all praying for the best. Until we know for sure, we cannot take the next step,” said a senior party leader.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi closely monitored the situation right through the day.

Gandhi spoke to the Chief Minister’s son and party MP Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. She got regular updates from Home Minister P Chidambaram, Defence Minister A K Antony and the state administration.


Moily called on Sonia Gandhi before leaving for Hyderabad. Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy and a host of other leaders from Andhra Pradesh also left for the state capital. AICC spokesperson Manish Tewari said that it was a very “sensitive” moment for the party and the president hopes and prays that Reddy is safe.

The last time YSR met Gandhi was on August 19 when he was here for the Congress Working Committee meeting. At that meeting, he had pointed out instances of corruption in the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and stressed the need to plug these holes. His words find an echo in Sonia’s Letter to Congresspersons in the latest issue of Sandesh released today. Gandhi cited “complaints” about the implementation of the NREGA and said: “We must ensure that this scheme does not fall victim to corrupt and inflexible bureaucratic practices.”



“YSR has earned the Congress President’s faith and confidence as a performing Chief Minister. What has put him in a different league among party CMs is his outstanding performance in the state in the last Lok Sabha as also Assembly elections beating all odds, especially the demand for the statehood for Telangana,” said a senior party leader.