Like dad YSR, Jaganmohan Reddy may start Racha Banda in Andhra Pradesh

VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy is said to be planning to launch a mass contact programme of Racha Banda . The chief minister had told the officials at his first collectors' conference that he would meet people through the Racha Banda programme to know and resolve their grievances.

Sources say that Jagan wanted to launch this mass contact programme from Pileru in Chittoor district , which was started by his father Dr YS Rajasekhar Reddy, who died in the helicopter crash on September 2, 2009. It is said that Jagan wants to start the programme from the place where his father could not attend.

Sources say that Jagan wants to start the programme on September 2, after paying tributes to his father at Idupulapaya.

Jagan had almost revived every programme of his father and had named some of his own programmes after his father ever since he took over the reins. He had been promising time and again that he would work to be proved as a better chief minister than his father.

Even the Racha Banda programme is inspired by his father, and besides the Padayatra, was a factor that brought both the father and son to power in the state.

During his padayatra, Jagan replicated his father in interacting with the cross sections of the people every day. Sources said that Jagan wants to use the Racha Banda too to take advantage of the image of his father, besides creating his own image among the people. However, as the chief minister is unavailable in the State, the YSR Congress leaders did not confirm the programme.