By IANS,
Hyderabad : Newly sworn in Andhra Pradesh minister Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy met his nephew Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy Thursday, two days after they reportedly came to blows, and said they would “be together henceforth”. But he was heckled by the latter’s supporters while returning from the meeting.
The two met at Jagan’s home soon after the latter returned from their native Kadapa district.
Vivekananda, the younger brother of late chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, denied reports in a section of media that he and Jagan came to blows during a meeting at Kadapa Tuesday night.
“Nothing of that sort happened. There are no differences between us. We were always together and will be together henceforth,” Vivekananda told reporters.
“We did not discuss political issues,” he said when asked about Jagan’s plans to float a new party as the latter has left the Congress.
Vivekananda pointed out there were many families in India which had political differences but whose members still met each other and maintained relations.
But when Vivekananda was returning from the meeting at Jagan’s house, dozens of slogan-shouting supporters of the latter stopped his car, demanding he resign from the cabinet.
Raising slogans of “Jai Jagan” and “Congress down down”, they squatted on the road and jeered at Vivekananda, who joined the state cabinet Wednesday despite a request by Jagan not to do so.
As the protestors did not allow the car to move, an angry Vivekananda came out and warned them. He even twirled his moustache to show his anger. He later sped away even as Jagan’s supporters chased him.
Jagan and his mother Vijaylaxmi had quit Congress party and as a member of parliament and the state assembly respectively Monday, while accusing the party leadership of creating a divide in the family by wooing Vivekananda with a ministerial post.
Vivekananda has been given the portfolio of agriculture, which always topped his brother YSR’s agenda.