Surprising as it might sound, the Telugu Desam Party leaders on Thursday supported, albeit indirectly, the claim of Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy for the chief minister post.

Reacting sharply to chief minister K Rosaiah’s allegations against TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu of back-stabbing NTR to come to power, TDP legislators Kadiam Srihari and S Venugopalachary said it was Rosaiah who had ditched his predecessor Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s family to grab the post. “Though 153 MLAs supported the candidature of YSR’s son Jaganmohan Reddy for the CM post, Rosaiah refused to step down and clung to the seat. He ditched the family of YSR, who had given him all respect and called him “anna,” they said.

The TDP leaders also pointed out that Rosaiah had grown to the level of chief minister not because of his popular image, but because of his sycophancy with the previous chief minister. “He does not deserve to be in the post,” they said.