New Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS): Congress president Sonia Gandhi Sunday met union Law Minister and senior leader M. Veerappa Moily amid a strong campaign by party workers in Andhra Pradesh for Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy to succeed his father, the late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, as chief minister.
Moily is in charge of the Congress' Andhra Pradesh affairs.
"Moily met Gandhi at around 11.30 a.m. Sunday. The party high command is closely watching the developments in the state party," a senior Congress leader from Andhra Pradesh told IANS.
The national leadership is unhappy over the pressure tactics being adopted by a section in the party, the source said.
YSR died in a helicopter crash in Andhra Pradesh Wednesday and his body was found in a forest a day later along with those of four others accompanying him.
"The party is looking for a leader from the Reddy community for the chief minister's post as the number of legislators from the Reddy community is very high," the source said.
Jaganmohan, 37, has emerged as the frontrunner to succeed his father YSR as the chief minister after the state cabinet presided over by K. Rosaiah, who was installed as acting chief minister Thursday, passed a resolution urging the Congress party's central leadership to let Jaganmohan take over the mantle.
Many state legislators had met Moily and submitted a memorandum to make Jaganmohan the chief minister.
The party's national leadership is yet to decide on YSR's successor.
Earlier in the day Sunday, a meeting convened by the Congress party in Andhra Pradesh to condole the death of YSR ended in utter chaos as supporters of Jaganmohan created a ruckus, demanding that he be made the next chief minister.
Jaganmohan Reddy appeals to supporters to obey Congress High command
The son of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Jaganmohan Reddy, on Sunday urged his supporters to obey the party high command’s directives on the succession issue in the state.
Appealing to his supporters to be patient, Jaganmohan Reddy said: “Sonia Gandhi (Congress president) knows what is good for us all. This is not the time to air one’s choice of succession. Please abide by Sonia Gandhi’s decision. Await Sonia Gandhi's decision.
Jaganmohan Reddy’s message came as Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Veerappa Moily met Sonia Gandhi at her 10, Janpath residence in New Delhi for a little over 15 minutes. It was decided to send a tough message to YSR Reddy loyalists to back off from their demand to make Jaganmohan Reddy the next chief minister of the state.
It was also decided that a decision on the leadership issue in Andhra Pradesh would be taken after the seven-day mourning period for the late chief minister, who died in a helicopter crash on Wednesday.