Hyderabad, November 20
Belligerent Congress MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy's television channel today launched a frontal attack on party chief Sonia Gandhi as well as the organisation, days after he claimed to be "running out of patience".Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also targeted along with the "coterie around Sonia" for the "sorry state of affairs in Congress."

Though the Kadapa MP himself has not said anything directly against Sonia, Manmohan Singh or the Congress, Sakshi television news channel owned by him ran an hour-long special programme last night and this morning targeting Gandhi's leadership and "rapid degeneration" of the party under her.

Ever since Jagan was denied the chief minister's post after his father Y S Rajashekara Reddy's death, Sakshi newspaper and television channel have been running stories severely criticising Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah and his government's policies.

Jagan's rival groups in the party, too, have been subjected to attacks in his media but this is for the first time that Sakshi chose to take on the Congress high command directly.

Political observers here see Sakshi's story as a prelude to Jagan's ambitious future political plans.

"That he has chosen to target the party high command in general and Sonia Gandhi in particular through his television channel is an obvious indication that Jagan is preparing ground for his exit from the Congress," one political observer said.

"Sonia is neither President of India nor the Prime Minister but she is dictating the politics of the country," screamed a headline even as several critical remarks were made against her in the voice-over in the Telugu news channel.

"He has been just a rubber stamp," Sakshi remarked, taking potshots at Manmohan Singh in the light of the recent observations of SC in the 2G spectrum case.

The special story was telecast to mark the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Congress party.

The report said the grand old party was on a "rapid degeneration" across the country and even Sonia Gandhi herself was facing rough weather in Rae Bareilly constituency. — PTI