Adhir files papers, hopes for sixth win from Berhampur
In Berhampur, five-time Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury submitted his nomination for the sixth time, today.
Breaks his silence on Telangana nod, strikes defiant note
statesman news service
Hyderabad, 9 August
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has made it very obvious that he is not going to cooperate over the division of Andhra Pradesh, much less preside over it.
While breaking his silence nine days after the Congress announced Telangana&’s statehood, he literally threw the ball in the Centre&’s court and that too in public. This is sacrilege in the Congress. And no Andhra Pradesh Congress chief minister or a Congress leader of stature has ever done it.
His tone, tenor and choice of words were abundantly clear that he was not in the least favourable towards bifurcation of a state. When people asked him soon after the Press conference on what would happen now, he reportedly said, “Let them (Central leadership) do it”.
His close aides said that the high command assured him that he would be suitably rewarded politically if he pilots the division of the state under their guidance. This was after his passionate plea not to divide the state was firmly turned down by Congress general secretary Mr Digvijay Singh in their ‘war room’ meeting.
Now Mr Reddy has left no doubt that he is very much at variance with his high command and that he does not care if his Press conference would adversely influence his political career in the Congress.
Significantly he said that unless the Centre shows solutions to the problems that arise and address the concerns, particularly of Seemandhra and Hyderabad, they cannot proceed on creating a new state. This did not sound like a request but more like his stipulation. Meanwhile, the CPI National Executive today expressed concern over the increasing incidents of violence in Andhra Pradesh and said narrow political electoral gains should not mar the formation of Telangana.
The national executive said the party welcomed the decision on Telangana, but the way the Congress had handled the justified demand for the new State, had sparked dissatisfaction in the Seemandhra regions, the Left party said.
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