Your family has three generations of criminal history: TDP Andhra chief to Jagan Reddy

TDP Andhra Pradesh president Kimidi Kala Venkata Rao on Friday wrote an open letter to YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy saying it is "impossible" for an outsider to kill his uncle and former state minister YS Vivekananda Reddy.

Vivekananda was found dead at his home on March 15 in Pulivendula. Initially, it was said that he succumbed to a cardiac arrest. However, the police, based on the investigation, stated that it was a murder.

In his letter to Reddy, Venkata Rao said, "It is an open secret that your family has three generations of criminal history. It is impossible for people coming from out of your family to kill your uncle Vivekananda Reddy."

Rao went on to accuse Jagan's aides of "washing out blood stains and forensic evidence", adding that the YRSCP chief 's family had an "image of criminals" in the people's eyes.

"Why are you playing politics of corpse when your own uncle YS Prathap Reddy saying openly that there are no doubts in YS Vivekananda Reddy murder case?" Rao asked Jagan.

In conclusion, Rao wrote: "It is the pinnacle of your arrogance that issuing a warrant to call you 'SIR' even by elders. You are trying to provoke caste and religious sentiments to get Chief Minister's seat. In every issue, you are playing murky politics. You have joined hands with (Narendra) Modi and (chief Minister) KCR who have cheated the people of the state brutally."

While the TDP has alleged that Jagan's family could have killed Vivekananda for political gains, the YSRCP, on the other hand, alleged that the TDP was behind the murder.

Jagan also stated that his grandfather Raja Reddy and uncle Vivekananda Reddy were murdered when Chandrababu Naidu was ruling in the state. Naidu, however, countered Jagan by saying that his family members should be investigated as only they can tell "who wiped off the blood on the floor" to divert police investigation into the case.

Vivekananda Reddy was elected as an MLA from Pulivendula constituency in 1989 and 1994. He became a Member of Parliament from Kadapa Lok Sabha seat in 1999 and 2004. In 2009, he was elected as an MLC. He also served as Agriculture Minister of Andhra Pradesh and later resigned from the Congress party and joined the YSRCP.

Following Reddy's death, his personal assistant Krishna Reddy lodged a complaint with the police expressing his suspicions on his death. Krishna claimed that Vivekananda's body was found in a pool of blood with injuries on his head and hand.