Aides tell Kiran to drop plans

Hyderabad : Most Seemandhra ministers and MLAs are not showing any interest in former Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy’s proposed new party.Ministers Ganta Srini vasa Rao, Erasu Pratap Reddy and T.G. Venkatesh, who are very close to the former Chief Mini-ster, have decided to join the Telugu Desam. They have told Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy that a new political party would not have a chance in Seemandhra and have asked him to drop the idea.

Sources said that the three leaders will meet TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu on February 27. In fact, Mr Naidu had fixed an appointment with the three ministers on Monday but it was postponed in the last minute.Former minister J.C. Diwakar Reddy has also advised Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy not to launch a new party. He met the latter over the last two days and told him the same.Former Congress MP from Ongole Magunta Srinivasula Reddy, had also told Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy on Sunday not to launch a political party.

MLAs who are close to Mr Srinivasa Rao and Mr Pratap Reddy, meanwhile, have also decided not to join the former Chief Minister’s party if it is launched. In fact MLAs Avanthi Sriniva-sa Rao (Bhimili), Ch. Ve-nkatramayya (Gajuwaka), Ramana Murthy Raju (Yelamanchili), Labbi Venkata Swamy (Nandikotkur) and Shilpa Mohan Reddy (Nandyal) might join the TD. Mr Diwakar Reddy, who is very close to Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy, has also decided not to join the new party if formed. In fact, he too, might join the TD.

Senior MLA and former minister Gade Venkata Reddy is also not sure about joining the new party. On Sunday, seven MPs met Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy and discussed the possibility of launching a new party, but among them, Mr Vundavalli Arun Kumar has decided not to contest in the next elections while former MP Lagadapati Rajagopal has announced his retirement from politics.

Another former MP, Magunta Srinivasula Reddy, was opposed to the launch of a new party while MPs G. Harsha Kumar and Sabbam Hari supported the floating of a new party. Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy had expected arou-nd 50 MLAs and 15 MPs to support his cause but many of them have not shown much interest.Ministers Pitani Satyanarayana and Sake Sai-lajanath, MLAs Gade Venkata Reddy, Diwakar Reddy, K. Bharathi, Vanga Geetha, Pantham Ga-ndhi, Anjibabu and Routhu Surya Prakasha Rao, MLCs Paladugu Venkata Rao, Siva Kumari and Reddapa Reddy attended the meeting held by Kiran Kumar Reddy on Monday.

Two former MLAs and Chittoor former DCC president, Rajasekhar Reddy, also attended.If Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy floats a political party, Mr Satyanaraya-na and Mr Sailajanath will join along with MPs Vundavalli Arun Kumar, Mr Harsha Kumar and Mr Sabbam Hari. However, no MLAs were willing to join.In fact, Kamalapuram legislator G. Veera Siva Reddy, who had asked Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy to launch a new party, skipped Monday’s meeting.