Botcha backtracks on poll victories

HYDERABAD: State Congress president Botcha Satyanarayana, who took strong exception on Thursday to YSR Congress leaders’ demand for resignation of all Congress MLAs since they were elected on the strength of YSR’s image, claimed on Friday that he had only said that the Congress candidates had won the 2004 and 2009 elections by using YSR’s photo along with Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s during campaigning.It appears that the PCC chief, in less than 24 hours, has changed his stance on “YSR photo” issue fearing criticism from YSR’s followers during his two-day tour of Krishna district on September 2 and 3.Talking to newsmen at Gandhi Bhavan here on Friday, Botcha, who also holds the transport portfolio in the Kiran Kumar Reddy cabinet, said that he was ready to correct his statement (that the High Court had never asked the government or the Congress to file a petition or explanation on the issue) if he was shown that there was a direction from the High Court to the Congress government to file a counter petition in the Jagan’s illegal assets case.He found fault with YSR Congress president Jagan Mohan Reddy’s remarks that the CBI turned into a “Congress Bureau of Investigation” in probing the case.Instead of trying to prove his father’s innocence, Jagan was resorting to mudslinging.“Jagan termed the CBI good when it had given him clean chit in the Paritala Ravi murder case.’’ Though all schemes and programmes launched by YSR were being continued by the present government, YSR Congress leaders were indulging in false propaganda for political mileage, he charged.“After YSR’s death, I too signed a statement along with other Congress MLAs expressing wish to see Jagan as chief minister.Except for persons like Konda Surekha and Balineni Srinivasa Reddy, all others who had no relation with either the Congress or YSR are now talking as they like against Congress leaders.”