Is former chief minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy a forgotten man for the Congress party? Some of the developments that have unfolded ever since his death certainly point to something brewing in this direction.

The instances are dime a dozen but the latest one, the Jala Yagnam calendar not having a trace of its mentor YSR, has left everyone stunned given his stature and the kind of respect he had commanded in the party. The man on the street is bemused by this, but not many in Congress circles simply because of the visible shift in the priorities of the party high command to regain its stranglehold on state affairs.

The latest controversy in fact showcases the remorselessness with which the Congress party pursues its own brand of organisational politics. Everyone knows it would be foolish to see this as a result of a human error or an odd ‘slip-up’. A careful look would suggest it is part of a Congress roadmap to claw its way back into the state with supreme authority.

But why is the grand-old party desperate to play with the image of its tallest leader to gain control over the state? The reason is simple; it no more wants any new regional power houses emerging, taking inspiration from YSR, either in AP and elsewhere. More than anything, it was meant to be a sure shot weapon aimed at clipping the wings of YSR’s son and Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.

Jagan, who was once talked about as the ‘heir apparent’ during his illustrious father’s hey days, is still being seen as a potent threat to the fragile Rosaiah government. Right from the days since the ‘Jagan-for-CM’ campaign, the young Kadapa MP was seen to be behind many political developments which the high command is completely aware of.

More recently, Jagan was rumoured to be behind the violence that erupted against Reliance outlets in the name of ‘conspiracy’ behind YSR’s death. Some say, the calendar issue is an instant retaliation from the high command to reign in the young leader even if it meant some disrespect to his more famous father.

Others see this as part of a multi-pronged strategy to divert the public memory from YSR and thus weaken Jagan camp in the long run. Along with this deep-rooted thinking, some of the senior leaders like K Keshava Rao, V Hanumantha Rao, Renuka Chowdary and Harsha Kumar are also successful in precipitating the high command’s stiff resistance to Jagan’s moves. This is where the YSR loyalists are wondering where is the need to go to the extent of ill-treating the former chief minister for the sake of short-term political gains. They feel, this line of attack to humble Jagan might prove counter-productive for the party in the state.

On the other hand, YSR fans are seething in anger that there has been no clarification from the Congress party in the state and in Delhi even after 24 hours of the incident. YSR’s successor Rosaiah is also not speaking out on the issue during his ongoing tour of north coastal Andhra.

Enough evidence, that the party has no hesitation, what so ever, to treat YSR as history in its anxiety to safeguard Rosaiah’s throne!