Political Diary: 2009-08-30

I am not happy to be CM: Rosaiah

Chief Minister K Rosaiah seems to be reconciled to the fact that he might not continue in the post for a long time and would have to pave way, most probably to Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.

Though he might have the ambition of holding the CM post for some more time, Rosaiah is taking every care that it does not reflect either in his face or his words. He is very choosy in making statements on this issue.

While saying that he would abide by the decision of the high command, Rosaiah told media persons on Saturday that he was not at all happy to be in the hot seat. “I have reluctantly occupied the chair, after the sad demise of Rajasekhara Reddy. I have no desire to continue in this seat for a long time. It requires great courage and conviction to carry the legacy of YSR. I don’t think I have it,” he said.

Don’t end life, realise YSR’s ideals: Rosaiah

Saddened by the reports of suicides in the state following the death of Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, Andhra Pradesh interim Chief Minister K Rosaiah tonight urged the people to strive to achieve YSR’s ideals to seek his blessings.

’’I am also unable to digest the tragic death of our beloved YSR who will not want his followers to end their lives’’, he said in a statement here.

Expressing shock over reports about suicides and deaths due to heart attack of the well wishers, he said, ’’don’t resort to such extreme steps’’.

’’We should all work hard to finish the left over tasks of YSR to seek his blessings wherever he is now,’’ he added.

Andhra Pradesh limps back to normalcy

Andhra Pradesh Saturday began limping back to normalcy after remaining shut for two days following the unexpected death of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash.

Schools, colleges, offices, shops and businesses reopened after 48 hours while public transport returned to the roads.

But the state was still reeling under the shock of Wednesday’s death of YSR, as the charismatic chief minister was popularly known, as well as two officials and the two pilots of the Bell 430 helicopter.

The chopper was on its way from Hyderabad to Chittoor when it crashed and exploded on a hillock in a forest in Kurnool district in poor weather Wednesday.

The wreckage and the bodies were found only Thursday morning. YSR was laid to rest Friday in his native Kadapa district.

In Kadapa and other parts of Rayalaseema region, millions of supporters were still mourning the loss of their leader who had led the Congress to a spectacular win in assembly elections in May.

Over 100 people died of shock or committed suicide since Thursday after coming to know about the death, according to Telugu media reports. Police have not confirmed these reported deaths.

Although life was returning to normalcy, the mood across Andhra Pradesh remained sombre amid a seven-day state mourning.

The ruling Congress party leaders are holding condolence meetings in almost every town and village to pay tributes to the man who was the chief minister for over five years -- and had just begun his second term.

In Hyderabad and other major towns, educational institutions re-opened after two days. Buses of state-owned Road Transport Corp, taxis and auto-rickshaws returned to the roads.

Government offices, banks, petrol pumps, shops and other businesses re-opened.

’Black Box’ of YSR’s ill-fated chopper found

The ’Black Box of late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s ill-fated Bell 430-helicopter, which crashed on September 2 on the Pavurala Gutta of Nallamala hill range in the Rudracodur forest area, was found by the police.

Police found the cockpit voice recorder, popularly known as Black Box, last evening.

The Black Box will be handed over to the five-member inquiry committee, appointed by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The DGCA team is likely to visit the crash site today and has been asked to submit the report within two months.

Police at Athmakur had registered a case of the crash following the death of Reddy, his Special Secretary P Subramanyam, Chief Security Officer A S C Wesley and both the pilots, Group Captain S K Bhatia and Capt M S Reddy under section 174 of the IPC.

The ill-fated helicopter had taken off from Begumpet airport at 0835 hrs on September 2, carrying the Chief Minister and four others for the first leg of ’Rachachabanda’ tour for a direct conversation with the villagers in Chittoor district and lost radio contact at 0902 hrs on the same day. The crash was located the next morning.

According to sources, the chopper was cleared to fly at 5,000 feet, but had been flying at 3,000 feet and served about 18 km away from its flight path before it crashed due to adverse weather condition into the hillock in the midst of the dense Nallamala forest.

The bodies of the Chief Minister and four others were retrieved when commandos were air dropped on the inaccessible crash site after a night-long operation, the biggest search undertaken jointly by the State and the Central Governments.

The search operation was backed by ultra model satellite and sophisticated Sukhoi fighter jet with small aperture rador from the air and more than 5,000 Army, Paramilitary, Elite Commandos and Chenchu tribals on foot sweeping about 20 sq km at night.

Mohan Babu comes on bike to Idupulapaya

Actor Mohan Babu was in the US when he heard of the tragic death of Rajashekar Reddy in a helicopter crash. Mohan Babu immediately canceled his shooting there and rushed back to Hyderabad.

Mohan Babu went to Idupulapaya to pay his last respects to the departed leader. The road to Idupulaapaya was almost closed for traffic with laksh of supporters and their vehicles stranded on the road.

Mohan Babu and his son Vishnu took a bike from Vempalli and managed to reach Idupulapaya with great difficulty. Still it was too late for Mohan Babu as the mortal remains of YS Rajashekar Reddy had already been laid to rest by that time. He paid his tributes an laid a wreath on freshly built graveyard and came back with a heavy heart

YSR laid to rest over

There was not an inch space left at Idupulapaya Estate as large crowds from all over the state moved in, to bid good bye to their beloved leader late Y.S. Rajashekar Reddy, who was died in the Chopper crash two days ago.

There was a time when it becomes very difficult for YSR family members to approach the vehicle on which the body of the late YSR kept. Finally, somehow they were helped to board the vehicle with great difficulty. T.Subbi Rami Reddy, Central Minister Gulam Nabi Ajad, DGP. S.S.Yadav and many others presence on the already-jam packed-vehicle made very much inconvenience for the YSR Family members. Somehow, Y.S.Jagan Mohan Reddy s/o late leader managed to stand in the congested vehicle and seen with folded hands as a gesture of ‘Namaskaram’ to the people who came to bid fare well.

Finally, the late Chief Minister Y.S.Rajashekar Reddy body was cremated with due respects around 5.15 PM at his Idupulapaya Estate, as he wished earlier. His family members and Interim Chief Minister of the state K.Rosaiah, and many others paid rich tributes the great leader.

The failure of the Police in controlling the crowds clearly showed its impact on the ceremony. Women and Children of YSR family suffered a lot with uncontrolled crowds. People swarmed all the places leaving no space for YSR family members to conduct the final rituals peacefully.

AICC serious on ap MLAs

The AICC has taken a serious note of a group of MLAs in Andhra Pradesh. The MLAs have started a signature campaign in support of YS Jagan as the chief minister.

The MLAs have so far managed to gather the signature of 120 MLAs and are in the process of enlisting support of all the MPs too. The MLAs planned for a meeting to pay homage to YSR and also pass a resolution urging the party high command to make Jagan as CM.

The AICC has warned the legislators not to go ahead with the ‘make Jagan CM’ campaign. The party top brass asked the MLAs to just conduct a condolence meting in memory of YS Rajashekar Reddy.

YSR keeps his word on 'retirement' at 60

A man who said politicians should retire at 60 seemed to have kept his word, in death. It was a stroke of irony that YSR was fated to die just 100 days after he rode to power for a second time in Andhra Pradesh. He used to advocate that a politician's shelf life should end at 60. For, YSR had entered politics at a relatively young age of 30 and became a minister in the state cabinet. He missed several opportunities to become CM of Andhra Pradesh and that might have prompted him to moot the retirement at 60'' plan for Congress veterans. In fact, the partymen also backed his retirement formula as the high command used to "impose'' aging leaders in state politics. "They wanted all the veteran leaders who clung to power to retire and allow their leader (YSR) to take over the reins,'' an analyst said. It didn't happen until 2004 polls when the party high command had no option but to name him as CM, in recognition of his 1,400-km-long padayatra in the mid-summer of 2003. With the veterans taking a backseat, YSR emerged as the sole leader of the party in the state at 55. He reached the self-imposed retirement age of 60 just after taking over the reins for the second time on May 20, 2009. "Yes, I wanted to retire from active politics at 60. But, it seems my followers are thinking otherwise,'' YSR had said. Unfortunately, it appears God has granted him a "forcible retirement'' at 60. He was 60 years and two months at the time of his untimely death.

Why realtors want YSR’s son as CM

In the last five years, the city of Hyderabad has become "Greater", expanding to five times its earlier size. Land auctioned by the Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s son Jaganmohan Reddy. (PTI Photo) government here fetched as much as Rs 19 crore per acre, before recession hit the sector. This apart, the state became the country’s SEZ capital with over 100 SEZs approved in AP.
Predictably, it is the real estate sector that is most concerned about "the accessible’’ YSR’s untimely death and is now rooting for his son Jaganmohan Reddy as the next chief minister, as he alone shares his father’s passion for real estate, they say.
Apprehending that a non-businessman politician would be unable to understand their business and its prevailing concerns, realtors say Jagan is the next perfect choice for the CM’s post. "Jagan is an industrialist himself. He is a real estate businessman and so would understand our business better,’’ said Ashwin Rao, director of Manbhum Constructions.
Realtors say that Jagan not only enjoys the support of MLAs that would in turn give the state a stable government (which would be any industry’s requirement), but he would also be the only person in the party who would adopt YSR’s policies totally. And he is no greenhorn, they say, citing his thumping election victory from Kadapa and his acumen in handling his own firms.
Given that the state attracted infrastructure majors and the city even boasted of a brand-new 5,000-acre airport in YSR’s time, city builders say that YSR was an exception among politicians as he had a unique, incisive understanding of the real estate business, a knack that his son has acquired, they say.
Besides, realtors note that if earlier major real estate and infrastructure activity was concentrated in Mumbai and Bangalore, YSR brought it to Hyderabad. "He made it the most happening city and only Jagan can carry this forward, being an industrialist and entrepreneur,’’ said P V S N Murthy, president, AP Builders Association.
An example of YSR’s "industry friendliness", which realtors expect Jagan would show, is the reduction in the "impact fee" ( paid for buidings over five floors) and development charges that builders sought just before the 2009 elections. YSR allowed builders to pay the impact fee in instalments. He also controversially acquired thousands of acres of land for the Outer Ring Road project and SEZs, which in turn lead to an appreciation in land prices around and turned many farmers into crorepatis overnight, while many were left landless.
YSR’s builder friendliness was well known as he introduced a "green channel" for speedy disposal of building applications, in addition to bringing in GO 86 (new building rules, 2006) which did away with FSI completely and introduced a "mortgage rule", wherein one floor or 10% of the built-up area had to be mortgaged with the civic body.
"He (YSR) even waived the 5% stamp duty and broughtregistration charge to a modest 2.5% for affordable housing (for flats measuring up to 1,200 square ft), the lowest in the country,’’ said C Shekhar Reddy, president, Builder’s Forum. He added that realtors would like Jagan to take over as CM as he was young and serious in the business and has the vision to give the real estate sector a new direction in these turbulent times.
Most significantly, builders say YSR was accessible and want their next CM to be the same. "We didn’t have too much difficulty meeting him and if he would say he would take a look into it, he would do it," said Prem Kumar, president, AP Real Estate Developers Association.
Clearly, a lot is riding on the next CM. Land prices would be just one of them.

YSR death triggers ugly CM race

The body of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy is yet to be laid to rest, but mourning in Hyderabad has given way to ugly power politics with the deceased chief minister's loyalists on Thursday unleashing a strident campaign for making his son Jaganmohan Reddy the new chief minister. The campaign — quite unprecedented for the vulgar haste with which it has been mounted — reached a crescendo by evening when K Rosaiah was sworn in as interim CM. The erstwhile YSR cabinet in the presence of new CM Rosaiah passed a resolution on Thursday evening demanding that Jagan -- just 100 days into formal politics -- be made the new CM. "Jagan knew the mind of Rajasekhara Reddy. He alone can finish the unfulfilled agenda of his father," said government chief whip Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka who is marshalling the MLAs in favour of Jagan. Analysts said that more than Jagan it's the lobby that gained from YSR that wants the son to take over the reins of the state, with a view to perpetuate status quo. Congress sources in Delhi, however, said the high command was taking a dim view of this unseemly strong-arm tactic to push through Jagan as CM. They threw up other names as possible successor: Union urban development minister Jaipal Reddy, minister of state for defence Pallam Raju, NTR's daughter and junior Union minister Purandeshwari Devi and acting CM K Rosaiah. The day of dramatic developments began soon after it became clear that Rajasekhara Reddy had perished in the helicopter crash. Minutes after the bodies were recovered, the "Jagan-as-CM" campaign picked up momentum. Almost all the state ministers, about 22 MPs and several Congress legislators pitched Jagan's case to the media even as hundreds of party workers gathered at the secretariat, CM's camp office, Gandhi Bhavan and various traffic intersections vocally making a similar demand. By the afternoon, the Jagan group met Union law minister M Veerappa Moily at the Lake View guest house in pursuance of their demand even as many Congress MLAs faxed individual memorandum to the party headquarters in New Delhi in support of Jagan as CM. By the evening, minutes after K Rosaiah was sworn in as chief minister, the Jagan loyalists met governor N D Tiwari and submitted a list of 122 signatures in support of him being made the chief minister. According to sources, there was even an attempt to pressure the governor to swear in Jagan as acting CM immediately, but that was abandoned as Rosaiah had already been sworn in by the time the loyalists reached Raj Bhavan. Analysts said that the Jagan camp realised that there would be a power struggle for the CM's post and therefore decided to make the pitch first. An ungainly battle is imminent as there are many other aspirants for the CM's post including Rajya Sabha members V Hanumantha Rao and K Keshava Rao, apart from Jaipal Reddy, Pallam Raju and Purandeshwari Devi. Jagan, 36, is a first time MP from Kadapa and is merely 100 days old in politics. While Veerappa Moily made it clear that Rosaiah was only an interim CM and that the Congress high command will chose YSR's successor in the next few days, the Jagan votaries seem ready to take on the central leadership on the issue.

All this seem to indicate that the battle for power in the state is set to intensify. "We are waiting for YSR's last rites to be completed. It will be no holds barred after that," said a Jagan aide. Battle for succession

Jagan Reddy Overwhelming choice of MLAs, most of whom are YSR loyalists. But a greenhorn in politics, he could be hemmed in by factional leaders. Cong high command does not want to give in to pressure tactics

S Jaipal Reddy Erudite urban development minister is long on experience and a trusted Sonia Gandhi loyalist. Wary of state politics, he could find the going tough

Purandeswari Devi Vishakapatnam MP seen as promising junior minister. Carries part of father NTR's political legacy. Relative newcomer, lacks clear-cut support group K Rosaiah Veteran politico who has been a minister in several Cong govts and is now interim CM. His caste doesn't go in his favour, neither does he have a mass following. But as seniormost minister, can be a compromise

Pallam Raju Educated and modern, the MoS defence has backward caste credentials. He has gained experience in govt but lacks exposure to state politics

Seven-day mourning in AP

The Andhra Pradesh government has declared seven days mourning from Thursday to September 9, as a mark of respect to Chief Minister late Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, who died in a helicopter crash in Nallamalla hills at Kurnool district.The national flag will be flown at half-mast throughout Andhra Pradesh and there will be no official entertainment during the period, a state government release said.All government offices, schools and colleges in the state remained closed on Thursday and will remain shut also on the day of funeral of the departed leader, which will be announced in due course, the release added.

YSR was AP's 'popular CM': Political parties

Left parties condoled Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy's death, calling him the "popular" Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh."It is most tragic and unfortunate. The victory he had achieved in the recent elections had established his popularity in Andhra Pradesh," CPI-M Politburo member, Mr Sitaram Yechury said here.Conveying his "deepest" condolence to the late CM's wife and family members, Mr Yechury said: "At a time when he could influence the national politics, he unfortunately passed away."Expressing shock, the CPI said, Dr Reddy was “the popular” chief minister who was known for several welfare measures in the state. "His demise is a big loss not only to Andhra, but to the entire country," the party said in a statement. Terming Dr Reddy as the son of the soil, BJP president, Mr Rajnath Singh, said his demise has left a big void in the country. "Reddy was the son of the soil and had special concern for the welfare of poor and other weaker sections of the society. He was a leader who believed in serving the people through development and good governance," Mr Singh told reporters here.He said as a mark of respect for the late leader, BJP's flag would fly at half mast at the party headquarters. Party leaders said this is perhaps for the first time that party's flag will fly at half mast following the demise of a leader of the Opposition party.Mr Singh said, "The Andhra Chief Minister's demise has left a big void in the country and it is an irreparable loss especially for the people of Andhra Pradesh. Senior BJP leader, Mr M Venkaiah Naidu said, “The state and the people have lost a promising dynamic leader with the death of Rajasekhar Reddy."Mr Naidu added, "We have been hoping that Reddy will come back safely. But it was a big shock and God has been unkind," Naidu said.Senior BJP leader, Mr L.K. Advani, said The country had lost a "popular leader of the masses."“I am deeply saddened to know that the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, has died in a tragic helicopter accident. I condole his untimely and tragic death," Advani said in a message issued here.
In the death of Dr Reddy, popularly known as YSR, "people of Andhra Pradesh and the country at large have lost a very able and popular leader of masses," he added.Mr Advani, the leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha also said that YSR's contribution to the development of the state and particularly the deprived classes of the society was "praiseworthy."

Loved by friends, feared by enemies: Did officials know on Wed that YSR was dead?

Late on Wednesday afternoon, a few hours after the chopper carrying Y S Rajasekhara Reddy went missing, intelligence officials had darkly indicated that the helicopter had gone down with an explosion. Around the same time, a senior police official from Kurnool district said, in an equally hush-hush manner, that the helicopter had landed in Veligonda region of Nallamala hills. A day later, with news about YSR's death confirmed in the manner suggested by the intelligence officer and at the very same place revealed by the cop a day earlier, the big question is — was this a remarkable coincidence of two sharp speculations proving right or was there actual information that no one broke pending an official announcement? Or perhaps the answer lies in the simple fact that YSR had emerged as such a colossus in the state, and so inspired awe and fear in equal measure, that nobody could muster courage to publicly articulate intelligent conjectures about his death. That this was the reason why misinformation was going back and forth on Wednesday about how Rajasekhara Reddy was found alive and taken to safety, only to be denied within minutes. But it was not always like this. Although YSR was born rich he had no political legacy to fall back upon. He was a trained physician and practiced for a while. More than that, he was a natural leader who came up in stages by the sheer dint of merit. He became an MLA in 1978 and a junior minister in 1980, but then was pushed into virtual oblivion for a long phase. He became an MP and came close to Rajiv Gandhi, but before he could hold any important public office, Narasimha Rao was pushed to the PM's gaddi. The wily Rao recognized the potential of Reddy and decided to keep him down. The reputation of YSR's father Raja Reddy — a muscle man from Rayalaseema who had accumulated vast mining rights — had something to do with this attitude towards the son. But YSR was himself not a muscle man. He was a strong man and had inherited streaks of his fathers flamboyant personality. That he came from the badlands of Rayalseema, where it rains very little and life is hard, toughened him as a young man. It nurtured in him a tremendous spirit of survival as well as inculcated intolerance towards forces hostile to him. For, YSR would destroy his enemies in a determined manner, bit by bit. The goal mattered more than the means of decimating obstacles on his way, be it the Telangana movement or the Maoists. If enemies feared him, friends absolutely loved him. For friends he was generous to a fault and would overlook their foibles ^ something like another successful politician, Chandrasekhar, who would never fight shy of owning up his friends even if they came in very dark shades of gray. In an illustrative example, some time ago when someone complained about the highandedness of his close friend, YSR is said to have remarked: ``He is my friend. When will he throw his weight around if not when I am the chief minister?'' Such support for his friends and his spontaneous show of affection bred strong loyalty for the man. His followers would rarely betray him, even if he fell on bad days. He was true to his friends and expected them to reciprocate. In that respect, YSR banded with his party men and lived by a code of basic honesty. Few questioned his integrity in human dealings and relationships. This didn't necessarily extend to his material dealings, not at least in the eyes of his critics. For although he was re-elected on a development plank, and used public resources to shower largesse on electors, be it free power or free medical treatment, YSR displayed strong feudal tendencies. Land was close to his heart and there were allegations that he had added to his estate in native Pulivendula by grabbing forest land. An unprecedented number of scams hit the state during his regime including the Volkswagen scandal in which the state government paid Rs 11.5 crore to the person masquerading as a representative of the German company. Politically, YSR was astute. Having been in the bad books of Narasimha Rao, he realized that he had to be in the good books of 10, Janpath. And he could do this by proving useful to the high command. ``YSR realized that the Congress wanted seats in the Lok Sabha and generous contributions to the party coffers. He worked hard for this and soon got in the good books of the powers that be,'' said a political analyst who knew the man from close. If this was the way to the high command's confidence, it worked. Before his death, YSR had become so powerful that he was not a mere Congress CM. His stunning performance at the last Lok Sabha polls (no doubt with some generous help from Chiranjeevi), ensured two things — one, the Congress would be comfortable in Parliament and two, he could never be removed at will. In fact, it was said that if he were to be ever treated roughly or unjustly, he had the potential to break the state Congress and kick off an Andhra Congress. In a state where N T Rama Rao came to power invoking insult to Telugu pride because Congress chief minister Anajaiah was berated by Rajiv Gandhi on the tarmac of the Begumpet airport this is the strong legacy that YSR leaves behind. The million dollar question is whether his successors can do an encore?

SMS to YSR's security officer helped track chopper wreckage

An SMS received by a mobile phone of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S R Reddy's security officer John Wesley after the VVIP helicopter Debris of the Bell 430 helicopter that carried CM YSR Reddy scattered at the crash site, 275 kilometers from Hyderabad.
crashed is what provided the most crucial clue to trace the accident site, government officials said here today. "The most innovative means to locate the accident site of the Bell-430 helicopter was adopted this morning by tracking the signal from a mobile phone of one of the passengers on board the helicopter. The mobile phone had received an SMS at 1206 hours yesterday, about two-and-half hours after the helicopter had gone missing from the radar," they said. Though they refused to divulge details of the service provider or the contents of the SMS, the officials said with the help of the last signal from the mobile phone the crisis committee set up in Hyderabad decided to concentrate their search for Reddy's helicopter within a four-km radius from the spot where the mobile phone signal was tracked. On the suggestion of the IAF representative in the crisis committee, two Chetak helicopters from Hakimpet Helicopter Training School (HTS) of the Air Force was launched this morning at 6.30 Hours and after a two-hour search they found the wreckage around 0830 hours.

14 die of YSR shock in Andhra

Shocked by the sudden and tragic end of their leader, 14 people died in different parts of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday. Six people died in East Godavari, five in Chittoor, while another YSR fan got a cardiac arrest in Vishakhapatnam. Two others died in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam. Daily wager B Padma (44), a Rajiv Arogyasri benefactor, from Vanamalla in Punganur, collapsed on hearing the news of YSR's death at 10 am and died. Parvathamma (22), from Kummaragunta village in Punganur mandal, too died of shock. An ardent fan of YSR, N Raja Reddy, 52, a shopkeeper in Piler, died of cardiac arrest as soon as he saw YSR's death on television. "The people around him tried to resuscitate him, but he was declared brought dead by doctors at a hospital,'' a relative said. A farmer from Kadapa, Narsaiah (75), who came to Piler on personal work along with his wife and children two days ago, died of cardiac arrest after hearing the tragic news. In Durgasamudram, Shankaramma (37), a daily wage labourer, who recently underwent a heart surgery under Arogyasri, died at around 6 pm. A degree student, Laxminarayana (19), studying in Chittoor Government Degree College, consumed pesticide. "My son could not take the sad news and resorted to the extreme step,'' his weeping mother C Lakshmamma said. The family hail from Chowdepalle mandal. In East Godavari, six people died in the aftermath of YSR's death, while former minister Jakkampudi Ramamohan Rao fainted upon hearing the news. Four died of heart attack, two others hanged themselves unable to bear the grief. According to district police, N Yesubabu (20), of Narendrapuram in Rajanagaram mandal and Achanta Ramakrishna (48), of Nagaram in Mamidikuduru mandal committed suicide.

Andhra Bhavan in gloom after YSR's death

A pall of gloom hung over the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in the national capital on Thursday following the death of chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash in Kurnool district on Wednesday. Union minister of state for Defence Pallam Raju, who was among the first to come and pay his condolences, said the nation has lost "a powerful leader". "The sudden passing away of our chief minister under tragic circumstances is a big shock to the people of Andhra Pradesh and the nation. Reddy was the leader of the masses and whose heart beat for the common man, the under-privileged and the farming community. In his death country has lost a great and powerful leader. May god bless his departed soul and give strength to his family," Raju wrote in his condolence message. YSR, as the Andhra Pradesh chief minister was popularly known, was on his way to Chittoor, about 580 km from the state capital Hyderabad, when his helicopter lost contact with the air traffic control around 9.30 a.m. on Wednesday. The crashed helicopter with the bodies of YSR and four other co-passengers was sighted on Thursday morning by Indian Air Force choppers on a forested hilltop in Kurnool district, about 200 km from the state capital. "He was a very powerful and important leader. He used to work for common man. He started a lots of irrigation projects. He implemented all the central and the state government schemes with full dedication.... big loss to the country. We will work in his name and fulfil his dreams," Raju said in his message. A prayer meeting was organised at the Andhra Bhavan and a condolence meeting is scheduled on Thursday evening. Left leaders D Raja and Sitaram Yechury also came to pay their tributes. Indian flag was flying at half mast. "It's a very tragic loss. When he won the recent assembly election emphatically, we all believed that he is poised to play a bigger role in the national politics. But this did not happen," Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury said. Communist Party of India leader D Raja said: "He was quite friendly and generous person. He was a very affectionate leader. It's a very tragic loss." Union minister for tourism Selja also visited the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan to offer her respects to the departed leader. The information officer of the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan Kiran Kumar told IANS: "Seven days of state mourning has been declared. Today (Thursday), tomorrow (Friday) and day after tomorrow (Saturday) will be institutional holidays. His funeral will take place on Saturday." The happening Andhra cafe, which is visited by nearly 5,000 people daily, had fewer number of footfalls. The cafe decided to cancel its dinner services to mourn the death of the leader. "People are sad. There is a definite decrease in the number of people coming here. Dinner will not be served on Thursday," supervisor Satyanarayan said. Krishna Reddy, one of the visitors who came to pay his homage, said: "He (YSR) was one of the greatest leaders and a visionary. He worked for the common man. The people will miss him." Joshua Jena, an NGO worker from Andhra Pradesh, said: "I met Mr. Reddy in 2006. He was a wonderful guy and a very dynamic leader who worked for the needy, the downtrodden and the minorities." "It's a great, great loss for the state. He did wonders for Andhra."

YSR's body brought to Hyderabad

The body of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who was killed in a helicopter crash, was brought to the state capital on Thursday evening. The Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter carrying YSR's body landed at the old airport at Begumpet. State ministers and senior leaders of the ruling Congress received the casket at the airport. It was then taken to the chief minister's camp office, where his family members and close relatives and friends were present. The bodies of YSR's Special Secretary P. Subrahmanyam, chief security officer A.S.C. Wesley and pilots S.K. Bhatia and M.S. Reddy were also being brought here before being sent to their respective home towns. Earlier, the bodies were brought from the crash site in Nallamalla forests to Kurnool town, where an autopsy was conducted. Since the bodies were charred beyond recognition and were decomposed, the military personnel had a tough time in air lifting them from the crash site. A team of forensic experts conducted the autopsy on the remains of the five and the caskets were later kept in an IAF helicopter for taking them to Hyderabad. YSR's body will be kept at the Lal Bahadur Stadium from 10 a.m. Friday for people to pay homage. It will be then taken to his native Pulivendula town in Kadapa district for state funeral.

Rosaiah takes oath as caretaker Andhra CM

Andhra Pradesh finance minister K. Rosaiah on Thursday took oath as the state's caretaker chief minister.

Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court A.R. Dave administered oath of office and secrecy to Rosaiah at the Raj Bhavan.

The 76-year-old leader will serve as the caretaker chief minister till the Congress legislature party elects a new leader.

"Usually one feels happy while taking oath but I have taken oath as the caretaker chief minister with a heavy heart. Since this is a constitutional requirement, I agreed to serve as caretaker chief minister till a new leader is elected," Rosaiah told reporters.

He later drove to the state secretariat to preside over the cabinet meeting.

Rosaiah was sworn in caretaker chief minister following the death of chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in a chopper crash on Wednesday.

Campaign for making YSR's son chief minister

Within hours of the official confirmation on Thursday that chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy had indeed died in a helicopter crash in the forests of Kurnool district a day earlier, a public clamour and a silent campaign has begun for making YSR’s son and Kadapa CongressMP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy the next CM of the state.

While several senior leaders including a Rajya Sabha member are said to be carrying out the silent campaign, several MPs, MLAs, party leaders and workers who had assembled at the Secretariat, the CM’s camp office and Gandhi Bhavan (state Congress headquarters) publicly demanded that Jagan be made CM.

At the CM’s camp office, which houses the YSR residence and where his body was expected to arrive later in the day, at least 22 Congress MPs told reporters that they wanted Jagan to be the next CM and that they would submit a memorandum to this effect to the Congress high command. The MPs included Lagadapati Rajagopal, Anjan Kumar Yadav, G Sukhender Reddy, Suresh Sheckar, Nandi Yellaiah, Sarve Satyanarayana, P Prabhakar and L Rajaiah.

Congress workers, who had pitched up tents at various major intersections of the city, held up portraits of YSR and shouted slogans in favour of Jagan as CM. Sources told that a silent campaign is also on within a section of the party to ensure that Jagan succeeds his father.

Thirty-six-old Jagan is a first time MP and is only a little over 100 days old in politics. The sources said the group that is campaigning for Jagan as CM is doing so because it wants the status quo to continue, by which they can ensure that their interests are not destabilized with the death of YSR.

But analysts were aghast at the campaign. "How shameless can they be? YSR's body has not arrived in Hyderabad and these selfish fellows are lobbying for YSR's son so that their interests are not affected," a political analyst said.

Andhra CM YSR's cremation at native town tomorrow

Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy will be given a state funeral on Friday while the national flag will fly at half mast in Delhi and all state capitals on Thursday and Friday, the government announced.

Information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni told reporters after a cabinet meeting here that the tricolour would also fly at half mast all over Andhra Pradesh in tribute to the chief minister who died in a helicopter crash on Wednesday.

His body was found on Thursday morning in a dense forest in Kurnool district where the accident took place in bad weather.

All central government offices in Andhra Pradesh will remain shut on Friday, Soni added.

Thursday's cabinet meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, observed a two-minute silence in memory of the chief minister.

The body of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who was killed in a helicopter crash, will be brought to Hyderabad from Kurnool by 5 pm, finance minister K Rosaiah said on Thursday.

Rosaiah told reporters here that an autopsy will be conducted on all the five bodies that were found in the Nallamalla forests in Kurnool district.

The 60-year-old chief minister, popularly known as YSR, was going from Hyderabad to Chittoor, 588 km away, for a mass contact programme when his helicopter went missing in bad weather around 9.30 am on Wednesday in the dense forest range.

In Pics: YSR Reddy (1949-2009)

Flying with YSR, who this May steered the Congress to a second stint in power, were his principal secretary P Subramaniam, chief security officer ASC Wesley and pilots Group Captain SK Bhatia and Captain MS Reddy.

"All the five bodies were charred beyond recognition," Rosaiah said. He added that there was a possibility that "there was a fire" after the crash.

After being brought to Hyderabad, YSR's body will be taken to the chief minister's camp office in Begumpet. The bodies of the other four people would be taken to their respective native places.

The chief minister’s body will be kept at the Lal Bahadur stadium in Hyderabad from 10 am Friday to enable people to pay their last respects.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and several union ministers are expected to arrive here tomorrow.

On Friday, at 1 pm, YSR's body will be taken to Pulivendula, his native town in Kadapa district, where he will be cremated with state honours.

Congress waits for 'tiger of Cuddapah'

The downcast mood at the Congress headquarters mirrored the dark, overcast sky on Wednesday. Their concern was palpable and a desperate search for "good news" saw them huddled before TV sets at 24, Akbar Road. On his way to the airport in the evening, en route to Hyderabad, law minister Veerappa Moily told TOI, "We still have no news. But operations will go on through the night. I am worried by the developments, but we are doing all we can. ISRO has been asked to help locate the missing chopper." Apart from central leaders, Andhra Pradesh MPs were also airdashing to Hyderabad. The downcast mood was understandable as Y S Rajasekhara Reddy or "YSR" has forded the Vindhyas to demonstrate how a leader from the South could make himself a key influence with the party leadership, while emerging as a satrap who towers above other regional bosses. The 2009 Lok Sabha polls entrenched YSR on the national scene, even though he was happy with a state role. The canvas that was explored by leaders like Sharad Pawar, Lalu Prasad and Mulayam Singh Yadav is now YSR's, but his impact was more behind the scene as far as the Centre is concerned. But it cannot be understated with a tally of 33 MPs when Congress was not expected to touch half of its 2004 tally of 29. YSR did this even as his views on Telangana were uncompromising and the collapse of Satyam hurt. He returned to power all by himself backing his instincts fiercely and delivered a huge leg up to the Congress. The surprise victory — not for him — made him a legend overnight. For a heavily centralised AICC not given to accommodating satraps, Reddy has managed to carve a place for himself as a regional heavyweight, even reviving a non-existent phenomenon. He has done this without losing his tag as a firm 10, Janpath favourite. As a state boss, he seems to have left behind satraps like J B Patnaik of Orissa and, on a much smaller scale of political significance, Bhajan Lal. Reddy consciously kept the central leadership on his side, delivering key promises on time. His role in breaking Telugu Desam Party ahead of July 22 confidence vote, despite the MPs being under the close watch of their chief Chandrababu Naidu, also endeared himself to the powers-that-be. The success of 'tiger of Cuddapah' to have his way with high command marks his importance as an organiser. And the fear of any calamity leaving a void in its wake is writ large on the faces worried about the party's future in Andhra Pradesh. Reddy has not just authored a roadmap to bring down Telugu Desam Party chieftain Chandrababu Naidu, he has also chartered the party through a difficult phase when it had to confront hostile elements like TRS and an agenda of bifurcation which may have cost him his place with the constituents in Rayalaseema and Coastal regions. With a mix of stubbornness, a strongarm approach and shrewd politics, the organiser-in-chief has moulded a dissidence-ridden unit into a cohesive machine, though not without ruffling feathers. While in the process he earned a fair share of detractors, he has been helped by a trusting leadership which has thrown its lot behind him whenever delegations have come knocking at 10, Janpath. The resultant stability has proved a boon for Congress by neutralising the 'Telugu pride' card which regional outfit Telugu Desam has played to trip it. It is not for nothing that workers are worried and the leadership is hoping for the best.

Can YSR beat the odds again?

It may or may not have anything to do with bad weather, but Y S Rajasekhara Reddy (60) is known to be a strong-willed politician. He has been more so after returning to power in Andhra Pradesh this year. The victory perhaps left him intoxicated, the reason why he has been crisscrossing the state as if the polls — due five years later — are to be held next month. The AP CM belongs to that rare breed of politicians who became a chief minister even before he could become a minister of any consequence. In 1980, two years after he was elected MLA, Reddy became a junior minister. But after that, he spent nearly two decades in political wilderness. Subsequently, he got elected to the Lok Sabha, but P V Narasimha Rao, who as prime minister called the shots in Delhi, made sure Reddy did not rise any further. YSR could thus do nothing more than bide his time. True, it took a long in coming, but wisdom (in his own words) dawned on him when he went on a padayatra of the state in 2003. Chandrababu Naidu was at the zenith of his political power. Trudging hundreds of kilometres in the hot sun, YSR says he learned firsthand the problems of rural folk. Coming to power a year later, in 2004, he launched a slew of populist programmes — seven hours of free power for farmers, housing for poor; and a medical insurance that allowed the poor to get themselves operated even in top private hospitals for free. Realpolitik has been YSR's real strength. In a party that's well-known for destabilizing CMs, Reddy has completely broken the back of all rebels. What's more, he has been able to cut to size the Telangana movement and the Maoists whose writ runs in large parts of AP. Reddy also knows well how to garner resources from the Centre. After he began his tenure as CM, YSR kept reminding the Centre — rhetorically, of course — that the number of Andhra Pradesh's poor was higher than its population. It turned out to be creative way to get Central funds. Although a doctor by education, YSR has taken full advantage of economic growth. The state has turned a realtor under him and is raising up to Rs 1,500 crore per year by selling government land (including disputed land). A tough man, YSR uses 'saam, daam, danda, bhed' freely. He comes across as sensitive and is generally known to be a friend to friends and a bad enemy to make. He often goes out of his way to bail out friends from a spot without concern for public opinion. A few months ago, he launched a Telugu newspaper and TV channel just to spite the language press that, he thought, was aligned to his bete noire, Chandrababu Naidu. YSR is a family man and like all Congressmen believes in promoting his relatives. His son, Jaganmohan Reddy, was elected to Lok Sabha from Kadapa — YSR held it once. He has spent considerable resources towards developing his native Pulivendula by building irrigation projects that lift water from Krishna and carry it over hundreds of kilometres to his home. When the historical Vijayanagar Empire — it extended over large parts of modern Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh — collapsed, the hereditary tax collectors of the regime were rendered jobless. In the drylands of Rayalaseema where it seldom rains, these tax collectors soon became brigands extorting money from visitors passing through the area. YSR comes from such a background of consummate survivors. But will he survive the aircrash? That is the question

Sukhois with night vision join search

As Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy's missing chopper remained untraceable despite day-long aerial search operations,the government is resting its hope on IAF Sukhois with night vision capability which can detect the heat of the craft. The Sukhois can pick up the heat trails of the chopper if it has come down in the forests of Nallamalla. There are 20 ground teams comprising personnel from various agencies including anti-naxal commandos searching for the chopper in what has now been identified as a 1,000 sq km area. This remains a daunting task and the rescue operations will depend on aerial and satellite surveys apart from help rendered by local tribals near Almakur where the helicopter was last seen. Home ministry officials coordinating the search hope any wreckage could be located by Thursday afternoon as operations intensify with more helicopters and low-flying aircraft. The area -- where the search operation is going on -- has been pin-pointed with the help of tribals who last saw the chopper over Almakur and the nearest mobile coordinates. The chopper, taking the north-south flying path from Kurnool to Chitoor, is understood to have taken an eastward diversion, possibly due to bad weather. Officials said the pilot might have tried to negotiate clouds and turnedtowards Almakur and nearby Iskala and Phaula Bhudua villages where it was last spotted by tribals. Andhra Pradesh government -- which first pressed private choppers for search operations after losing contact with the CM's helicopter -- contacted the defence ministry around 12.30 pm. The defence ministry choppers could not take off from Hyderabad before 1.30 pm and had to return in an hour due to bad weather. Later, Dornier aircraft and low flying planes with remote sensing capability were used. Though the Nalamalla forest area has naxal presence, security and intelligence officials discount any sabotage or action even after a crash. They feel bad weather or some technical fault could be the reason for a mishap. Even national security advisor M K Narayanan, while talking to a television channel, admitted that the government was not taking any chance keeping in mind the naxal presence. Anti-naxal commandoes could also be used given their training for negotiating forest areas. The NSA, however, ruled out the possibility of naxals bringing down the CM's chopper. He said, "Naxal strike seems extremely improbable. I would almost entirely rule it out. I do not think the naxalites have the capability to bring down the helicopter." ISRO satellites are also being used, though they will not cover the area till Thursday morning. US ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer spoke to home minister P Chidambaram and offered all help. The nature of assistance or requests was not specified but could include technical assistance like satellite surveillance. Chidambaram, who rushed to Delhi from Chandigarh after getting a message of missing chopper around 11 am, said in the evening, "There is no good news yet. We are keeping our fingers crossed. Our prayers are with Rajasekhara Reddy's family." The home minister, who is talking to all local SPs and other senior officials, said the search had been stopped for the time being because of weather and light conditions. "Tomorrow, in the first light of the day, helicopters will continue the search," he added. However, the home minister said the search on foot by forest and revenue officials was on around the point where they think the Bell helicopter was last seen. Police and CRPF personnel were also moving on foot. The home ministry has rushed five companies of CRPF -- about 600 personnel -- to the area.

YSR's chopper goes missing over dense Naxal & tiger-infested Andhra jungle

A helicopter carrying Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajashekhar Reddy, two of his staff and two pilots went missing in pouring rain Wednesday morning over the Naxal and tiger-infested Nalamalla forests and with no contact until early Thursday, experts and officials feared the worst. Soon after the chopper lost contact, multiple agencies of the state launched a massive hunt for possible wreckage in the desolate terrain. By evening, it expanded into the country's biggest-ever search operation with satellites in the sky joining remote sensing aircraft, fighter jets, unmanned aerial vehicles, troops on the ground and even barefoot deer-hunting tribals with bows and arrows. The Air Force pressed its topline Sukhoi 30 MKI into a night search and flew in Dornier and Avro reconnaissance aircraft. US ambassador to India Tim Roemer and Union home minister P Chidambaram spoke several times through the evening and the US volunteered to provide information picked up by its satellites. It was a flight that should not have taken off at all. The Met office had forecast not only heavy rainfall but the likelihood of fierce lightning and thunderstorms. But the 60-year-old politician was adamant. He was to kickstart a new village mass-contact programme called Rachabanda from Chittoor district (better known for housing the Tirupati temple) at 10.30am and there was no way that he was missing his appointment. The Bell 430 took off at 8.38am from Begumpet airport, not more than 2km from Reddy's residence, on its 500-km journey. For about 30 minutes, things were fine and the pilot was in touch with the air traffic control (ATC). But soon after entering the space over the Nallamalla forests, it ran into problems. Rain was thick and visibility was zero. What happened thereafter remains a mystery so far but in all probability, the helicopter went down. The helicopter was last in contact with the ATC at 9.12am. The chopper had fuel to fly for 2.45 hours, enough to make it to Chittoor. Apart from Reddy, the chopper was carrying principal secretary to CM S Subrahmanyam and YSR's chief security officer ASC Wesley. The craft was being piloted by group captain S K Bhatia and captain M S Reddy. "It was last sighted by villagers between Atmakur and Bandiatmakur close to Rollapenta entering the Nallamalla forests from Kurnool district towards Prakasam district between 9.15 am and 9.30 am," chief secretary P Ramakanth Reddy said. In New Delhi, there was a flurry of activity in the Congress and the home ministry went into a tizzy, setting in motion all emergency procedures possible. Minister of state for defence P Raju said the emergency locating transmitter (ELT) had not been activated and this gave hope that the chopper had made a safe landing. What is causing immense worry is that Nallamalla, or 'Black Hills' in Telugu, is a dense, hilly, forest that is an extension of the Eastern Ghats. It was once the main area of operation for AP Naxals and armed cadres are still suspected to be hiding out in the forest camps. But what is known for sure is that the forest is tiger territory. "For the last three days, the forest region has seen heavy rains and zero visibility. The Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers are overflowing and the Srisailam reservoir is full. The area is full of water," A V Rao, a Kurnool resident, told TOI. The area is sparsely populated with Chenchu tribals. "It is an inaccessible area with no cellphone towers, radio signals," Rao added. Strangely enough for a helicopter carrying the chief minister, the Bell 430 did not have a satellite phone connection. Alarm bells started ringing in the state government headquarters from mid-day but police parties which were sent out drew a blank as they could not venture out too far in pouring rain. Meanwhile, the rumour mill was active with stories flying thick and fast about how the chief minister had been rescued. Faced with a barrage of queries, finance minister K Rosiah called a press conference to deny that Reddy had been found. Later in the day, chief secretary Ramakanth Reddy said two IAF helicopters from Bangalore and one private chopper from Krishnapatnam in Nellore district scoured the area but found no sign of the CM's chopper. "Earlier, two IAF choppers from Hakimpet had set out but had to return halfway because of the inclement weather. The state has now deployed an aircraft belonging to the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) which is operating throughout Monday night at a height of 1.5 km over the forest area where the helicopter was last sighted," the chief secretary said. Teams which entered the Nallamalla forests during the day on foot had to return because of adverse weather conditions. "We went upto 20 km into the forest but had to return as the rivers are in spate," K Subba Reddy, a local resident of Velgodu village, told TOI over phone after returning to the village. Late on Wednesday night, hundreds of Greyhound personnel, raised to fight Naxals, moved into the Nallamalla forest riding on tractors borrowed from Nallakaluva village in Kurnool district as part of the search operations. Officials from the revenue and forest departments, AP Special Police and tribals were also pressed into service, the chief secretary said. Race against time: missing since Wednesday morning 8.38am: Chopper takes off from Hyderabad for Chittoor (approx 500 km), where YSR was to launch mass contact plan. Accompanied by principal secy S Subrahmanyam & chief security officer ASC Wesley 9.35am: Copter declared missing. Last known coordinates: 168°, 79 nautical miles from Hyderabad. Around 10.15am, private choppers pressed into search operations 1.30pm : Defence Chetak choppers join search but are forced to return within an hour because of bad weather 2.30pm: 2 IAF MI-8 choppers mobilized. Dornier and Avro planes called in. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle put on stand-by 5.30pm: 5 companies of CRPF (600 men) enter Nallamala forest with night vision devices. By sunset, 20 teams, including 3 columns of Army, state police (including anti-Naxal squads), forest and revenue officials enter 1,000 sqkm area Primitive tribe of Chenchus, who hunt with bows and arrows, approached for assistance 6.30pm: Chopper search called off due to poor light & bad weather. After sundown, IAF’s Sukhoi-30 MKI with thermal imaging devices used

Last message: 'We are climbing 550...'

"Victor Tango
Alpha Pappa Golf calling Chennai radio. We are from Hyderabad heading for Chittoor. Departed Begumpet at. We are climbing 550(5,500 ft). Expected time of arrival at Chittoor." "Roger." That was the last radio communication between the pilot of the fateful helicopter carrying Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajashekhar Reddy and the Flight Information Region (FIR) in Chennai. That was around 9.10 am. After a few minutes, the pilot radioed the Hyderabad control that he would be in contact with Chennai, following which Hyderabad handed over the control to the Chennai FIR. "We haven't heard anything from the chopper after that," an air traffic official privy to the last communication told TOI, explaining the fire-fighting that followed. According to protocol, if no communication is received from an aircraft 30 minutes after its control is handed over to an FIR, the centre goes about plotting three phases: Uncertainty phase, alert phase and distress phase, each at an interval of 30 minutes. Hearing nothing from the chopper, which was to communicate using a high frequency radio (HF), Chennai FIR kept switching between two HF radios, 6655 KHz and 8909 KHz. "Chennai radio calling Victor Tango Alpha Pappa Golf. Are you reading?" No reply. FIR then tuned into the very high frequency (VHF) band of 123.4 MHz, usually used for communication between pilots. "We wanted to see if the pilot lost our frequency and was trying some other pilot. When there was still no reply, we tried the universal emergency frequency 121.5 MHz, to which any pilot in an emergency situation is expected to tune in. That too drew a blank," the source said. FIR then initiated the 'uncertainty phase' and sent out signals to all air traffir control stations and airports in the vicinity such as Tirupati, Mangalore, Visakhapatnam,Bangalore and Hyderabad about the missing chopper. The 'alert phase' started around 10.40 am and all the stations were called up to inquire about any signals they received. The air traffir management and Airports Authority of India top brass were then informed before going into the 'distress phase'. Subsequently, the regional coordination centre attached to the FIR took over the case

Chopper's emergency beacon was not working

Serious questions are now being raised over the maintenance of the Bell 430 as none of the chopper's locators, that should start beaming its position in the event of an emergency and help rescue effort, showed any signs of life on Wednesday. The chopper had an emergency locating transmitter (ELT) that remained silent. The ELT starts emitting signals to satellites automatically in the event of a crash. Investigators were also baffled by the pilot's SOS personal recovery beacon remaining silent. Once activated in event of a forced landing due to any reason like bad weather or technical fault, this starts emitting GPS details of latitude and longitude positioning that are picked by satellites and help pinpoint the exact location. Isro's remote sensing aircraft was deployed to pick up these signals, to no avail till late Wednesday night. Even mobile phone companies were asked to try and pick up signals of cell phones being carried by the CM and his entourage. They may have not been able to pick up any signal due to poor connectivity or phones being switched off for the flight. The non-functional localisers only added to the overall anxiety over the missing chopper that was aggravated by a communication gap between an investigating DGCA team in Delhi and the Shamshabad air traffic control. When DGCA team in Delhi called the ATC to probe the missing chopper, the traffic controller either said or the official heard that the chopper had landed somewhere.

Search narrowed to 200-400 sq kms

The focus on finding Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Reddy has shifted to massive ground operations and search is on in an area of broadly 1200-1300 sq kms but the focus area is much smaller of roughly 200-400 sq km. But rainfall is hampering search operations as the combing operation is on.
Army and state forces are searching the area and 41 satellite images are being analysed.
Indian Air Force aircrafts are looking for any signs of YS Reddy's chopper. Sukhoi 30 fighter planes have been deployed. These have advanced radars and can map an area day or night.
They will work through the night, since they can re-fuel mid-air. They will conduct thermal imaging, their results expected by Thursday morning.
The army and police from 6 districts are involved in the ground search. They will work through the night, special night-vision equipment has been requested.
Andhra's anti-Naxal forces have also been sent to Nallamalla forest area, because they are familiar with the jungle terrain here. Local tribals from this part of the state, considered Naxal Country, are helping with the search mission. Patrol parties have been sent by boat to search on the River Krishna.
ISRO's special aircraft have also been deployed. Its satellites which can see through cloud cover will pass over the forest area on Thursday morning. These satellite reports will be filed by Thursday afternoon.
The area being combed is south of Hyderabad. The territory is huge, around the town of Atmakur, in the Eastern part of the Kurnool district. But the search also extends to Cuddapah, Guntur, Anantpur, Prakasam, and Mahaboobnagar.
What's happening right now:
Search is down to 200-400 sq km, the focus the Nallamalla forests over which the chopper was flying when contact was lost
ISRO has taken 41 satellite pictures, analysis awaited; this could come as early as tonight
No signal picked up from chopper, a good sign; Dornier equipped to pick up electronic signals did not pick up anything
Sukhoi 30 aircraft joins the search operation as part of the massive rescue operations, the army, the Air Force, police all part of search efforts
Sukhoi 30s to do thermal imaging
Pictures should be available from the Sukhoi 30s later tonight
300 army jawans in search operation
Jawans carrying night vision equipment
But rainfall and bad weather are hampering search operations
And here in the capital Sonia Gandhi meets top Congress leaders

YSR goes missing: How the day unfolded

Here is the timeline of how events related to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Reddy's disappearance unfolded since Wednesday morning.
8:30 am: CM YS Reddy boarded Bell 430 chopper from Hyderabad airport on Wednesday morning.
9:35 am: Chopper went off the radar of ATC Hyderabad.
10:15 am: The chopper lost all contacts.
11:30 am: Initial reports of chopper making forced landing at Kurnool spread.
12:15 pm: Reports of YSR missing.
1:00 pm: Home Ministry said Andhra CM untraceable.
1:30 pm: Unconfirmed reports in media said YSR safe, landed in Kurnool forest.
2:00 pm: Andhra government, Home ministry said to have been monitoring situation.
3:00 pm: Andhra government confirmed CM had gone missing, search operations on.
3:30 pm: Congress in press meet called it crisis situation.
Till 6 pm: Search operations by ten helicopters on in six district.

Assembly slams Maharashtra, Karnataka projects

Under pressure from opposition parties, the state government on Tuesday adopted a unanimous resolution in the Assembly decrying the illegal construction of several irrigation projects by Maharashtra and Karnataka across rivers Godavari and Krishna which would adversely affect the interests of the state and also render Jalayagnam redundant.

The government which was initially not keen on moving a resolution or taking up a discussion had to finally bow to opposition demand and chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy moved a brief resolution which read - "Maharashtra and Karnataka governments are constructing several irrigation projects illegally beyond their entitlement of water. Maharashtra government was constructing Babli project even in violation of Supreme Court orders. This House unanimously resolves to condemn the actions of both the states." It further said that the House also resolves to request the Centre to impress upon the states not to violate the inter-state agreement and stop the illegal construction of the projects immediately.

The opposition parties wanted the government to list out all the illegal projects in the resolution and seek intervention of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi but the CM turned down the proposal.

But, all this did not prevent the two main parties, the Congress and the TDP, from holding each other responsible for allowing the illegal projects. While TDP charged the Congress government with not making a serious effort in last five years to stop Babli and other illegal projects, the Congress members including the legislative affairs minister K Rosaiah and major irrigation minister P Laxmaiah blamed TDP for `ignoring' the irrigation sector during its nine-year regime and having failed to utilise the surplus water allocated to the state and that the government had not put up a cogent argument before the Supreme Court where the matter was pending.

Refuting the opposition criticism, the chief minister said that his government was committed to protect the interests of the state. "I myself met the Prime Minister several times and asked him to direct these two states to stop the construction," he claimed. The CM said he would lead a delegation to the Prime Minister depending upon his convenience and "if I cannot go, the irrigation minister will lead the team," he added.

The opposition protested over this and said that the matter would gain importance only if the chief minister leads the delegation.

Leader of opposition N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the Maharashtra government was planning to inaugurate `illegal' projects constructed on Godavari to appease voters in the ensuing Assembly election. He demanded that government stop Maharashtra from doing any such thing and see that the Prime Minister convenes a meeting of the chief ministers of three states to resolve the issue.

Meanwhile, PRP, BJP and Left MLAs alleged that the government didn't prevent the projects since relatives of important people at the helm of affairs in the state own power units constructed on these projects.

MLAs plea to hike ACDF to Rs 1 crore

Cutting across party lines, legislators demanded that the government increase the amount sanctioned under the Assembly Constituency Development Fund (ACDF) from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore. The matter came up after the Question Hour in the Assembly on Tuesday. TDP members stood up and made the demand for enhancement of the fund. Speaker N Kiran Kumar Reddy then had to adjourn the House in view of the ruckus caused by the opposition members. However, when the House re-assembled after 10 minutes, the Congress members too joined the chorus for hike in funds. Finally, legislative affairs minister K Rosaiah said "straight away, I cannot make make any commitment." When the members wanted the minister to give some assurance, Rosaiah said the request cannot be considered at present.

Andhra CM’s missing on air - helicaptor

The chief minister’s chopper has been missing since 9.35am. ( Watch Video )

Andhra Pradesh finance minister A Rosaiah, during a press conference, said no contact has been established with the chief minister’s chopper. Search and rescue operations are still on, he said. The state is coordinating with central agencies in Delhi to locate the CM’s chopper. The PM’s office is also in touch with the state government. Several helicopters- Indian Air Force, state govt and private helicopters, are involved in search operations, he added.

The state govt’s spokesperson added, "It is possible that because of the strong winds and heavy rains, it is possible it may have landed in some unfamiliar area. If you land in an unfamiliar forest area, getting out will be very difficult."

The state government has appealed to people for help and asked them to get in touch with the nearest police station if they have any information.

Just a short while ago (3.10pm), Karnool SP B L Meena, had, however, told The Times of India that the chief minister’s chopper had been located and a police team was going to escort him back to Hyderabad. The chopper had landed in Pamalupudu village in Karnool district, the SP said.

After the Andhra government’s press conference, TOI tried to contact the Karnool SP, but in vain.

Minister for civil aviation Praful Patel had also said Reddy’s helicopter had been located.

The CM left Hyderabad on a chopper at 8.35am this morning for Chittoor accompanied by his secretary and chief security officer but after 9.35am radio contact was lost with the government helicopter. This was when the chopper entered the thickly forested, Naxalite-infested Nallamalla hill range where it was raining heavily and visibility was extremely poor. The chief minister is on the hit-list of the Naxalites.

Do it like a star, says Jayasudha

Do it like a star, says Jayasudha

Actor and Secunderabad Congress MLA, Ms Jayasudha, wants MLAs to speak sharply as actors do it in films.

“I found that some MLAs just keep talking. In our film careers we have learnt to finish an assignment quickly. A two-hour film tells you everything. That is the way one should convey one’s point,” she added.

She found the Budget session “different” than what she has heard and saw on TV. “There is a lot of scope to help people through the legislature. At times the issues are lost in the din,” she said.
She said the presentation of the revenue minister, Mr D. Prasad Rao, was exceptional. The MIM MLA, Mr Akbaruddin Owaisi’s sppech impressed her most, she added.

“He has a lot of depth and talks on various issues with ease,” she remarked. She said the Budget session was a different experience for her. “I raised the issue of police-beggar nexus at traffic junctions and hospital for slum dwellers in my constituency,” she said.

The Praja Rajyam MLA from Kakinada rural, Mr K. Kannababu, described the session “bad.” “I am surprised that there was no discussion even on the appropriation Bill. Public issues were relegated to the background. I am appalled at the way the House was conducted,” he said.

No discrimination against Telangana on public health

Andhra Pradesh Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister A Ramanarayana Reddy today denied in the state Assembly any discrimination against Telangana information of sub-divisions of the Public Health Department.

Replying to Mr E Rajender and other TRS members during Question Hour, the Minister said Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy had approved proposals for creation of new divisions in Khammam, Medak, Mahboobnagar and Srikakulam districts as per the present workload.

The Finance Department had last month given its clearance for the proposals.Presently, 22 divisions and 57 sub-divisions were working in the Public Health Department in the state. As per the then

workload, seven divisions and 17 sub-divisions were created in Telangana, 10 divisions and 28 sub-divisions in Andhra region and five divisions and 12 sub-divisions in Rayalaseema, the Minister said.

Chiranjeevi to petition President, PM

Accusing the state government of turning the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board into a political asylum centre, Praj Rajyam president K Chiranjeevi on Monday said he would petition both the President and Prime Minister on the Lord's missing jewels and wayward functioning of the TTD Board. He said the highest office in the country would be approached with all sincerity seeking its intervention into the affairs of the TTD, as the sequence of events and the irresponsible attitude of the officials had affected the sensibilities of crores of believers. "The state government is trampling upon public sentiment by nominating people with doubtful credentials to the TTD board. One of the members even has cases pending against him. How can the government do this?" he asked. Speaking to the media, Chiranjeevi said, "Lack of responsibility on the part of the TTD was resulting in doubts being raised over the safety and security of the offerings made by devotees. The state government's irresponsible reply is the Assembly is adequate proof of the degenerating state of affairs at Tirumala and the TTD board. There is serious concern among the general public about the sanctity at Tirumala, in the wake of a series of serious administrative lapses, lack of auditing over the past three years and allegations of precious jewels going missing," he observed.

Roja meets CM, may join up

The Telugu Desam women’s wing president, Ms Roja, met the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, on Sunday and conveyed her intention to join the Congress.

The stormy petrel, who had earlier denied of a move to the Congress, also criticised the TD at an impromptu media meet. She parried questions on when she would make the move. “Time alone will decide that. I have not yet decided when to join the Congress.”

For the record, Ms Roja said she met the Chief Minister to thank him for getting the Rs 6,000-crore BHEL-NTPC project for her native Chittoor district. She praised Dr Reddy for selecting a woman (Ms Sabita Reddy) as home minister.

The TD, she said, had been neglecting her. She alleged that party leaders were responsible for her two electoral defeats. “How can I continue in a party where I have no recognition,” she asked. Mr Naidu did not react to the development.

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