Not long ago, it would have been unthinkable for V Vijayasai Reddy, seen as alter ego of YSR Congress Party supremo and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, to cross the line drawn by his boss. His loyalty to the party chief was unwavering.
He is a bitter man now, nursing a deep sense of betrayal.
“I was deeply hurt by the behaviour of the coterie surrounding him. I was mistreated and insulted. The pain caused by this treatment will not fade away,” said the former Rajya Sabha member who recently resigned from the YSRCP and also from active politics.
Ironically, Vijayasai, considered the closest aide of Jagan, is now accusing his inner circle of advisors of causing immense political damage to him.
“Jagan has no political future unless he breaks free from his coterie,” Vijayasai warned. A chartered accountant by training, Vijayasai was a powerful lieutenant since the formation of YSRCP in 2011 and also a co-accused in the CBI cases against Jagan pertaining to his alleged illegal assets.
Vijayasai said that despite his selfless service to the party and its leader for several years, he had faced humiliation at every stage from those close to Jagan Mohan Reddy.
He further alleged that the influence of this group still persists and continues to dominate Jagan’s decisions. “It is this coterie that is preventing Jagan from reaching out to people directly,” he said.
Dismissing the media speculation that he might join the BJP, he said, “I am engaged in agriculture, as I had previously announced. I don’t understand why people find it amusing that I am pursuing farming.”
Vijayasai disclosed that before resigning from YSRCP, he had a lengthy phone conversation with Jagan Mohan Reddy, who was in London at the time. During the talk, he explained the reasons for his dissatisfaction with the party and advised Jagan to connect directly with the people instead of isolating himself behind a coterie.
He explained that he distanced himself from the party because Jagan began listening to those around him instead of trusted advisors.
"After realising I no longer had a place in Jagan's heart, my heart was broken," he said.
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Despite being given numerous positions within the party, Vijaysai Reddy said he could no longer tolerate the mounting insults he faced. He revealed that Jagan had accused him of succumbing to temptations and losing credibility. However, he firmly maintained that he did not yield to any such influences — instead, it was Jagan himself who had changed.
"Once I had devotion towards the leader. But now my devotion is only towards God," he said.
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