Kiran may launch party after January 23

Hyderabad: Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has finally broken his silence on launching a political party, said Seemandhra MLAs. The news was the raging topic of discussion in the Assembly lobbies on Friday.

A few Seemandhra MLAs and ministers met the Chief Minister at his office in the Assembly on Friday following which they said that Kiran Kumar Reddy was planning to launch his party.
They, however, asked the media not to reveal their names.

According to them, Kiran Kumar Reddy had even appointed the manifesto committee, which was working overtime. The Chief Minister has also identified some popular schemes to announce before going for the Assembly polls.

Earlier, he had assured the Congress high command that he would bring the party back to power if given a free hand. But the situation changed after the Congress Working Committee took the decision to bifurcate the state.

Sources said that Kiran Kumar Reddy now wants to include those schemes in his manifesto. A Seemandhra minister, who is very close to the Chief Minister, is looking into this, they added.

Kiran Kumar Reddy’s party will apparently give Rs 3 crore to each candidate who contests with the party ticket in the next elections, said the sources. Six lakh T-shirts have also been ordered with the word “Swarajya”?printed on them.

“Swarajya”?is apparently the name that has been finalised for the new party and party workers will wear the T-shirts during the party’s launch. Sources said that Kiran Kumar Reddy was conducting at least 10 surveys from different angles.

When a senior leader from Rayalaseema asked Kiran Kumar Reddy about his future political plans, he apparently asked him to wait for some more days and said, “We are going to take some important political decisions after January 23”, hinting at announcing the new party.

One Seemandhra minister, however, said that when he met the chief minister, the latter did not say anything about launching a political party and added that Kiran Kumar Reddy would remain within the Congress.

Social Welfare and Roads and Building Minister, Pitani Satyanarayana, who is very close to Kiran Kumar Reddy, also said that there were no such plans as of now. Speaking to DC, Pitani said that he had no information at present. "At present, Kiran Kumar Reddy is a strong Congress man, but I cannot say what will happen tomorrow."