Make hay while the sun shines. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, son of Honorably corrupt Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, is simply following the old adage. During the last four years, he has started a number of businesses ranging from real estate to newspaper using public money or money pumped by corporates, which are duly compensated by his father.

Marching ahead, he has ventured into yet another business. The long awaited Sakshi TV has been launched today with lot of glitz and glamor. Sakshi TV, a new Telugu news channel, is aimed to thwart belittling attempts by rival Telugu news channels like Eenadu and to sing praises of the Congress party and its achievements. With elections in the offing, launching a television channel is not a bad idea.

Months after launching Sakshi newspaper, Jagan is already mired in controversies. Moreover the feedback on Sakshi newspaper has been very poor and a number of paper boys have started recommending other newspapers in their quest for more commission. Now with this new addition, where will Jagan head? Will the companies continue their patronage even if the Congress loses the elections?

PS: Sakshi TV logo sucks. So far, TV 9 has got the best logo among Telugu news channels.

The following cartoon was published in Eenadu, a popular Telugu daily on 9th January, 2009, after Sakshi, a popular Telugu daily owned by Y S Jagan, son of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajashekhar Reddy, had increased its price by 50 paise. Incidentally, the hike came just after Satyam's scam broke out.

Ironically, it is the same newspaper that launched a violent campaign against other veteran Telugu dailies (Eenadu and Andhra Jyoti) nine months earlier, just after its launch, to reduce the price of their newspapers to rupees two; they were selling for rupees three. The two newspapers ran editorials justifying their pricing strategy and vehemently criticized YS Jagan and Sakshi for their undue aggression. The War of Words is still going on.

Coming back to the cartoon, it is one of the best cartoons I have seen. It sums up the relation between YS Rajshekhar Reddy and Satyam, and also depicts how Rajshekhar Reddy has been milking corporates in AP for funds to run Sakshi.

For non-Telugus, the jaded cow represents Satyam, Maytas and other corporates, the pot in YSR's hand is his son Jagan's Telugu newspaper Sakshi and the milk in it is funds. Here Rajashekhar Reddy is seen saying to Y S Jagan, "No further milking is possible. Increase the price of Sakshi."

Cartoonist Sridhar has been a great asset for Eenadu over the years, and time and again he comes up with some great satarical and decisive sketches.