New Delhi: A visibly distraught and at times emotional Congress president
Sonia Gandhi told media persons outside the party headquarters on Thursday that
she and other members of the Congress were deeply saddened by the death of
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajsekhara Reddy and the four other people
who had accompanied him in a helicopter that crashed in the Nallamala Forest Range
on Wednesday. "The death of Dr. Y.S. Rajsekhara Reddy is a huge loss for the party,
for all of us, for me personally, for the state of Andhra Pradesh and for the
country. He was a hardworking and committed person. We are deeply saddened by
his death and that of the others who accompanied him," she said, adding that his
historic padyatra (in 2003) had helped bring the Congress back to power in Andhra
Pradesh. She described him as a man of vision and dynamism who worked with dedication
for the welfare of the people. Recalling his role in the preparations for this
year's general elections, she said that Reddy had said that the party and its
leadership should trust him to bring it back to power in Andhra Pradesh for a
second consecutive term, as he and other local Congress leaders had worked hard
to win the faith of the people. That he ensured a landslide victory in both the
assembly and general elections for the Congress, made his death all the more sad,
Gandhi said. The Prime Minster, Dr. Manmohan Singh, who was at the party headquarters
for a meeting of the Congress core committee, said: "Soniaji has summed up the
feelings of anguish and great sorrow that all Congress men feel. The Congress
has lost an outstanding and committed politician. Mr. Reddy worked tirelessly
for the implementation of various welfare schemes. He will be remembered for his
commitment to the development of Andhra Pradesh." The messages came hours after
the Army and the Air Force homed in on the missing chopper carrying Reddy and
four others about 40 nautical miles east of the Kurnool mountaineous area. Para-commandos
were dropped in the area and they took a couple of hours to report the discovery
of the five bodies on a hilltop in a decomposed state. Andhra Pradesh Government
Chief Secretary P.Ramakanth Reddy said the copter hit the top of SreeSailam hill
in the Nallamalla forest area before exploding into bits and pieces. Speaking
to newsmen here on Thursday, Reddy said: "According to the initial reports, the
pilots of the copter appeared to have deviated from the given track or route due
to the bad weather and hit the top of the hillock, crashed and then blasted into
bits and pieces. Only the tail of the copter is remaining." He explained "The
terrain was very difficult, only the specialized commandos who are trained to
handle such situations, could go to the area." Two army helicopters failed to
identify the location of the crash. Commandos descended from the copter and conducted
the search operation,"Reddy said. "Initially, the commandos located three bodies,
the other two were scattered at different places. So, it took some time to locate
them," Reddy explained. "All the bodies are in a state of decay due to the heavy
pouring since Wednesday morning, and they were burnt and charred."Reddy said.
In the matter like this the administration has to take utmost care, that's the
reason the confirmation has been delayed," he added. The Andhra Pradesh Government
has announced five days of state mourning for Reddy. The national flag will fly
at half-mast during this period in the state. The Union Cabinet, through a resolution,
has said that Reddy will be accorded a state funeral.!
