A key figure in Andhra Pradesh politics for nearly four decades, Vijayasai Reddy said he would not join any other political party and that he would focus on agriculture going forward, even as he ‘specially’ thanked PM Modi and HM Amit Shah.
Published Jan 24, 2025 | 7:40 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 24, 2025 | 7:41 PM
YSRCP leader Vijayasai Reddy
Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy is receiving one jolt after another. First, the humiliating defeat in Andhra Pradesh elections and now the loss of a trusted lieutenant in politics.
YSR Congress Party’s Rajya Sabha Floor Leader and National General Secretary Vijayasai Reddy announced his retirement from politics on Friday, 24 January. The announcement comes amidst an ongoing Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation into his role in the Kakinada sea port case.
Even as Vijayasai Reddy claimed he would not join any other party and would take up agriculture, his ‘special thanks’ to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah was unmissable.
In a detailed post on X, the two-time Rajya Sabha member said he would formally resign from his parliamentary position on Saturday, January 25.
“I will not resign in the hope of another position, benefits, or money. This decision is completely my personal one. There was no pressure. No one influenced me. I am indebted to the YS family, who have believed in and supported me for four decades and three generations… am forever grateful to Jagan garu for giving me the opportunity to be a Rajya Sabha member twice, and to Bharatamma garu for taking me to such a high level. I wish Jagan garu all the best,” he wrote.
రాజకీయాల నుంచి తప్పుకుంటున్నాను.
రాజ్యసభ సభ్యత్వానికి రేపు 25వ తారీఖున రాజీనామా చేస్తున్నాను.
ఏ రాజకీయపార్టీ లోను చేరడంలేదు. వేరే పదవులో, ప్రయోజనాలో లేక డబ్బులో ఆశించి రాజీనామా చేరడంలేదు.
ఈ నిర్ణయం పూర్తిగా నా వ్యక్తి గతం. ఎలాంటి ఒత్తిళ్లు లేవు. ఎవరూ ప్రభావితం చెయ్యలేదు.…
— Vijayasai Reddy V (@VSReddy_MP) January 24, 2025
Reddy has been a key figure in Andhra Pradesh politics for nearly four decades having served as a close aide to both YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and his father Rajashekhara Reddy while they were chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, as well as having been one of the founding members of the YSR Congress Party.
Reddy’s decision to quit comes just weeks after the Enforcement Directorate summoned him to their Hyderabad office on January 6 in connection with his alleged role in forcing stakeholders of Kakinada Sea Ports Limited (KSPL) to sell their shares at low prices. The Andhra Pradesh Criminal Investigation Department’s FIR names him as a central figure in the case, citing allegations from complainant Venkateswara Rao. The investigation is ongoing.
The current chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, also said he would not join any other political party and that he would focus on agriculture going forward.
“Special thanks to Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for encouraging me for almost nine years, giving me immense strength and courage, and giving me recognition in the Telugu states. I have political differences with TDP [or] with Chandrababu’s family. I have a long-standing friendship with Pawan Kalyan. My future is agriculture,” he stated.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
