Five days after the murder of YS Vivekananda, his daughter YS Sunitha on Wednesday demanded a fair probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), saying that there were no "internal clashes" among family members.
"It was a dream of my father (YS Vivekananda Reddy) to see my brother Jaganmohan Reddy as the Chief Minister of the state and he had worked very hard for that. It is very unfortunate that some are using my father's death to draw political mileage," she said during a press conference.
"False allegations are being made that there were internal clashes in our family. There are 700 members in our family and differences are very common in such big families," said Sunitha, stressing that one shall not reach a conclusion without an independent SIT probe.
"Let SIT work in a fair manner. As the investigation is underway, I am sure the truth will come out. As a daughter, I am unable to understand with whom I shall share my grief, as the people have different views," she said.
Responding to allegations levelled by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu that YSR Congress Party chief Jaganmohan Reddy is behind the murder of his uncle YS Vivekananda Reddy as there were internal differences within the family, Sunitha said: "Our family consists of people from different religion, castes, and cultures."
"We all have learnt to live together despite the differences. Just because we have different opinions, does that mean we kill each other," she said, adding that she is the only heiress to YS Vivekananda Reddy and she has been raised with lots of love and affection by her father.
"My father had been busy with his public life. He preferred people of the state to his own family as he had a great empathy towards the people of the state," she said.
Narrating the unfortunate incident of her father's murder, Sunitha said: "At the time of the incident, my mother was with me at Hyderabad for a medical check-up. So my father was alone at home."
"Our pain has increased more after hearing rumours and speculations about his murder. If such allegations are being made and these are true, then how can investigation go smoothly," she asked.
She urged the people to stay calm and wait patiently for the SIT report. "Please give the same respect to my father which you used to show him when he was alive," she said.
YS Vivekananda Reddy 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 investigation stated that it was a murder.
While the TDP alleged that Jagan's family could have killed him for political gains, the YSRCP alleged that the Telugu Desam Party could have been behind his murder.
Jagan also alleged that his grandfather Raja Reddy and uncle Vivekananda Reddy were murdered when the TDP chief Naidu was ruling in the state. Later, Naidu made a counter allegation that 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.
YS 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. Based on the complaint, the police have filed a case of suspicious death and are investigating.
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