An air of gloom descended on the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat and the Congress as there was no breakthrough in the search operations or about the well-being and safety of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, whose helicopter went missing on Wednesday.
Political leaders made a beeline for the Secretariat, even as others including the main Opposition Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu, held prayers. Praja Rajyam Party chief Chiranjeevi called on Finance Minister K. Rosaiah to know about the latest information on Dr. Reddy.
There was all-round concern at Dr. Reddy’s whereabouts. His colleagues, party legislators and anxious party cadres, besides officials and employees, thronged ‘Samatha’ ‘C’ block that houses the Chief Minister’s office.
It was utter chaos outside the building housing the CMO as journalists and officials tried desperately to get some positive information. Outdoor vans of television channels rushed to the Secretariat to beam proceedings live.
A sense of relief was palpable for some time as news came that the chopper had been traced and that the VVIP landed safely, albeit in a thick forest of the Nallamala range. But the respite was short-lived.
“We hope the Chief Minister has landed safely. We are trying to locate the chopper,” Mr. Rosaiah said, much to the dismay of the news channels that claimed that contact had been established and Dr. Reddy had spoken to his Political Adviser, K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao.
The mood at the Gandhi Bhavan and in the Congress Legislature Party was one of tension and anxiety. No sooner the information broke that the chopper was missing than panic-stricken leaders rushed to the State Congress headquarters.
Congress MLA Erasu Pratap Reddy, who represents the Srisailam constituency, where the chopper is feared to have landed, telephonically asked his party supporters in Atmakur and nearby mandals to scout for Dr. Reddy after preliminary information reached here that his helicopter had landed at Bhanumokkula in Pamulapadu in Kurnool district.
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