Jagan to be lifetime chief of YSR Congress

Amaravati: Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy will be elected president for lifetime of Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress (YSRC) party when it begins its two-day plenary session here on Friday.

The party constitution will be amended to enable Jagan's election as the YSRC president for his lifetime. The YSRC is citing the case of DMK, which secured the Election Commission of India's nod to enable M Karunanidhi's election as the party chief for life. "On similar lines, we will also seek the ECI's permission to let Jagan be our president for life," a top leader of the party said on the eve of the plenary.

This will be the third plenary of the decade-old party, and the first since it came to power in Andhra Pradesh three years ago. The party has lined up nine resolutions, one each on women empowerment, education, healthcare, Direct Benefit Transfer schemes, and transparency in administration, social empowerment, agriculture and industries (MSMEs), which would be adopted at the plenary. The ninth resolution will be on "Dushta Chatushtayam" (evil quartet), targeting the principal opposition Telugu Desam Party, Jana Sena and three Telugu media houses, which the YSRC branded as 'yellow media'.

However, the ruling party has not listed any political resolution in its agenda. "Where is the need for it? We are on our own and we have nothing with others," a minister observed, in an informal chat with reporters here on Thursday. YSRC general secretary V V Sai Reddy said they would discuss in detail all the schemes being implemented for the last three years.

"The plenary will give a direction on what better needs to be done in the next couple of years," he added. The plenary is being held coinciding with the birth anniversary of late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy on July 8. After paying floral tributes to his father, Jagan will deliver the inaugural speech at the plenary.