A RIDE TO REMEMBER

On board Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s bus as he was attacked

- RAHUL DEVULAPALLI

ANDHRA PRADESH

I COULD SEE the large gate. It was only a stone’s throw away. But, getting close to it was another matter. My first attempt was futile—I was pushed back by the crowd thronging the gate. On the other side of the gate was Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy—the compound where he had camped overnight, to be precise.

Reddy had embarked on a 21-day bus tour ahead of the general and assembly polls in the state on May 13. Titled Memantha Sidhham (We are Ready), the bus campaign will cover the state from end to end. This day, April 13, would be day 13. He was starting from Namburu, just off National Highway 16, on the outskirts of Vijayawada.

My second attempt to get to the gate also failed. As I glanced around in desperation, I saw two former ministers forcing their way through, helped by their aides. I had no such help, but fortunately, after a few more minutes of braving the jostling, members of the chief minister’s team spotted me and helped me get through.

In the compound were tents in the colours of the YSRCP flag—blue, green and white. Candidates and senior leaders gathered for the morning briefing at around 9am. By then, Reddy had completed almost a quarter of his day. The 51-year-old is usually up by around 4:30am. The next one and a half hours are allocated for yoga and resistance exercises after which he relaxes with tea and sits down to read Telugu and English newspapers for about an hour. Post 7am, he calls up party leaders and has breakfast at around 7:30am. For years, his frugal meals have been a topic of much discussion. Breakfast is usually a glass of vegetable or fruit juice.