Hyderabad: Union minister K. Chiranjeevi had to put up with some criticism from his group of legislators who joined the Congress with him when his Praja Rajyam merged with the former some years ago.
The group of legislators who met him on Sunday asked him why he had not resigned immediately after the Congress Working Committee took its decision.
He replied that before the CWC took the decision to bifurcate the state, it had informed all Union ministers from Seemandhra, Congress MPs, the CM and the state party president.
He said that all of them had accepted the high command’s decision and he too had accepted the decision, but had demanded that Hyderabad be made a Union Territory.
Unfortunately, some Union ministers and MPs belonging to Seemandhra reversed their stand, but he was not able to do so, Chiranjeevi said. The legislators then said that if he had submitted his resignation the same day, the political situation would have been different.
Chiranjeevi told the MLAs that the Congress is a national party, and winning and losing is common to any party. He asked them to prepare to sit in the Opposition for five years after the elections.
Some MLAs then noted that to sit in the Opposition, they would have to first win a seat. When there is no chance of any Congress candidate winning from Seemandhra, how can they sit in the Opposition?
Chiranjeevi, however, asked them not to take any hasty decision. Some Congress leaders quipped that when the MLAs weren’t abiding by AICC president Sonia Gandhi’s decision, how could they heed Chiranjeevi’s request?
Next: Speaker to hold meet, end T-Bill stalemate
Speaker to hold meet, end T-Bill stalemate
Hyderabad: Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar will hold a meeting with floor leaders of all parties on Monday in a bid to end the stalemate over the Telangana Bill in the Assembly. However, there is little hope that this will change the situation.
Among the biggest hurdles for a debate is the demand of legislators of the YSR Congress for a resolution in favour of a United AP before the Assembly discusses the Telangana Bill, and the government’s reluctance to do so.
Policemen check vehicles near Tank Bund after co-mpletion of the Assembly session on Sunday. — DC
The only way out of this impasse is for the YSRC to change its mind and allow the debate to proceed, or for the government to suspend the legislators from the House. But neither the YSRC nor the government is ready to take such a step.
Party chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has stated in the past that participating in the discussion means accepting the state’s division. As recently as Saturday, YSRC floor leader Y.S. Vijayalakshmi asked the Speaker to pass a resolution in favour of a united AP.
Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has often stated that passing a pro-United AP resolution separately in the Assembly would be of no use. He has said that the resolution should form part of the discussion on the Telangana Bill. This makes it clear that the government is not inclined to accept the YSRC demand.
At the same time, the government is not ready to suspend YSRC MLAs. “For how many days can the government suspend the MLAs? If the YSRC MLAs are suspended, TD and Congress MLAs from Seemandhra will follow them.
After suspending all the MLAs from one region, how can there be a discussion?” said a Seemandhra minister. The Telangana Rashtra Samiti is demanding that the government suspend the YSRC MLAs and continue with the discussion.
If all parties agree to discuss the Bill, another controversy may erupt over the issue of introducing the Bill in the House. Telangana MLAs claim that the Bill has been introduced and discussion initiated.
But Seemandhra legislators, including the Chief Minister, contend that that is not so. The CM had said the other day that the government has to introduce the Bill. This controversy may lead to pandemonium in the House again.
