YSR Reddy's death - Questions to be answered!

2nd September 2009 - A day regrettable for most Andhra Pradesh people. It marked a bizzare end to one of their 'greatest leaders' of recent times. The chopper Bell-430 which was carrying AP Chief Minister Mr. Y S Rajshekhar reddy and 4 other top notch people crashed in Nallamalla forest in Kurnool district. What preceeded before the discovery of this tragic incident has surprised me!! Also incites a few questions in my mind.

1. It took less than an hour for the top officials of our bureacracy and various political heads to launch a massive and perhaps the country's biggest search operation in it's history. Over a 5000 CRPF personnel, Anti-Naxal Squad, IAF Choopers, ISRO Officials, US Defence Dept. along with the help of the tribal people were all on song to search/rescue the CM and his inmates. Where was this ostentatious affection for the CM (read as Common Man) during the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai? Is the life of a CM more precious than thousands of civillians who were either under life threat or lost lives, courtesy to Pakistan sponsored well planned and executed attack on that fateful day in Mumbai?

2. 3rd September 2009 - "Chopper found in mangled state, CM dead" - Indeed a terrible news. May YSR's and the souls of other 4 who died rest in peace. Death is inevitable but certain to every living creature on this earth. However, what followed makes me dumbstuck. The body of the CM hasn't undergone an autopsy, the last rites are yet to be performed, YSR's son YSJ and his bereaved family is yet to look at their beloved for one last time. All this was yet to happen but there was already a propaganda to make YSJ Reddy the CM of AP. Has 'Politics' and 'Power' blinded us so much that there is no place for sentiments and emotions but for greed, greed and some more of greed? Are our law makers so insensitive to the high emotions running amongst the family members of the decesased?

3. What followed after the last rites of YSR was much more horrifying. Protests in AP, dharnas on various corners of Hyderabad, condolence meets witnessed not only a few minutes of silence but also slogans like "Make Jagamohan the CM". Is it not the responsilibity of the party to crack a whip on such insensitive jokers of politics? Is someones CM post more important than the family condoling the death of their beloved? Is it not interference in personal space of YSR's wife who on one side has to bear the loss of her husband's death and on the other got to see a 'Tamaasha' made out of her husband's death? To some extent the party can be commended not to have succumbed to the pressure of the 'vested interests' (or will I say next weekend "Not to have succumbed too early?") Indian politics... you never know!

All said and done, YSR has fulfilled his own promise of retiring from politics at the age of 60. Least he could have done was to retire in a preferable manner and not in a undesired way. But destiny cannot be written like horoscopes!!

RIP YSR Reddy. Long live your memories.

Note - The writer has nothing against YSJ Reddy decorating the CM chair. However, the timing of the demand by 'loyal supporters' of YSJ has irked the writer.