Naidu Calls Jagan "Kansa Mama" as a Family Wedding Fuels Andhra Pradesh Politics

Naidu Calls Jagan "Kansa Mama" as a Family Wedding Fuels Andhra Pradesh Politics

A Wedding Venue Turns Into a Political Weapon

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on October 24 gave a mythological edge to a family quarrel, calling YSR Congress Party chief Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy a "Kansa Mama" who had failed as an elder brother. Kansa, the tyrannical maternal uncle from Hindu lore, is shorthand for a kinsman who torments his own family, and Naidu used it to frame Jagan's refusal to host his niece's wedding at the family estate in Bengaluru.

A November Wedding With Invitations Already Out

At the centre of the row is Y. S. Sharmila, the Andhra Pradesh Congress chief and Jagan's sister, whose daughter YS Anjili Reddy is to marry Dr Somala Raghuram Reddy, a US-based physician whose family hails from Kurnool district. The couple got engaged on September 24, the wedding is set for November 25, and a reception is planned in Hyderabad on December 5. The invitations name the family's Yelahanka Palace compound in Bengaluru as the venue, and Sharmila has personally invited chief ministers of neighbouring states, the Congress's Gandhi family, and business and film personalities, according to NDTV.

A Refusal Conveyed Through Their Mother

Jagan conveyed through his mother, Y. S. Vijayamma, that the Yelahanka Palace could not be used, citing security and privacy, reports in Hindustan Times and The Hindu said. Sharmila's efforts to change his mind through relatives failed, forcing her to scout for an alternative venue in Bengaluru. Naidu argued that Sharmila also holds a share in the family property and accused Jagan of treating his mother and sister unfairly in the wider property dispute. The siblings' rift, by Jagan's own letter, goes back some seven years.

Security Concerns and a Counter-Offer in Hyderabad

Jagan's camp says the objection is practical, not personal. Both siblings have residences within the same Yelahanka compound, and a large wedding there would pose security problems for a leader under Z-plus category protection, YSRCP leader Perni Nani said. In his letter, Jagan said he was pained that Sharmila pressed ahead despite his concerns, and repeated his offer of the family's Lotus Pond property in Hyderabad as the wedding venue, suggesting a convention centre or a destination wedding on the lines of Sharmila's son Raja's wedding as other options.

A Family Feud Inside an Election Fight

Naidu folded the wedding row into a broader offensive over the ongoing Mandal Parishad and Zilla Parishad local body elections. He released a booklet titled "Same violence.. Same lies.. Same anarchy" along with videos purporting to show YSRCP-linked attacks on rival candidates filing nominations, accusing Jagan of "hit-and-run" politics and of damaging Andhra Pradesh's brand image. Jagan, for his part, alleges nominations were obstructed in 19 municipalities, and has sought court-appointed supervision with central forces and CCTV coverage. A niece's wedding has thus become the newest front in Andhra Pradesh's institutional battle.