Jaganmohan Reddy (left) greets supporters outside his house in Hyderabad on Monday. Picture by Vijayalakshmi

Nov. 29: Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy today quit party and Parliament with a salvo at Sonia Gandhi but the Congress quickly insured its government in Hyderabad by obtaining the support of actor Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam Party.

Jagan wrote a five-page letter to Sonia accusing her of backing a “murky and disgusting” conspiracy to split his family and erase his father’s legacy, and another to Speaker Meira Kumar resigning as Kadapa MP.

His mother Vijayalakshmi too gave up her membership of the party and Assembly but, for now, none of Jagan’s 25-odd loyal MLAs have spoken of resigning.

“I am leaving alone,” Jagan, 37, wrote to Sonia, saying he was appealing to supporters not to leave the party and so she needn’t fear a split.

He claimed he had suffered “humiliation in silence” since the death of his father and former chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. He hinted the latest provocation was the leadership’s move “to lure my uncle Vivekananda Reddy to Delhi” to offer him a state cabinet berth and cause “fissures in my family”.

Citing media reports that central leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had invited Vivekananda, he added: “I realised... these forces have the blessings of none other than the party high command.”

Jagan left this evening for family borough Kadapa, where he is expected to shortly announce a new party with the likely name of Youth Sramik Ryot (YSR) Congress. He has promised to resume his Odarpu Yatra — one of the earliest issues between him and the high command — from December 16.

An unfazed Congress called Jagan’s resignation “unfortunate and misguided” but claimed it would not hurt the party.

The Congress has 156 members in a House of 294. In case 19 or more MLAs follow Jagan out (which will cost them their seats under the anti-defection law), the party would lose majority in a reduced Assembly.

The Kiran Reddy government, however, shielded itself this evening by getting Chiranjeevi to publicly declare outside support from his 18 MLAs.

Jagan’s letter had cited the recent Chiranjeevi-Congress bonhomie while mentioning how his family was being humiliated. When his mother sought to meet Sonia, he wrote: “We could get your appointment only a month later whereas some new friends could get your audience within 24 hours.”

Hyderabad political scientist G. Haragopal said the Telangana issue could checkmate Jagan’s rise since his strength was limited to Rayalaseema. The Congress believes the “sympathy factor” for him would ebb long before the 2014 polls.

In about half-a-dozen districts, Congress workers ransacked party offices and defaced Sonia’s portraits today while the entire Kadapa unit resigned and staged a sit-in.

But several pro-Jagan ministers and lawmakers said they had no intention to resign. “Jagan has not asked us to. Besides, why should we? We are Congress members first,” said ex-minister Konda Surekha.