The emergency meeting called by the Seemandhra Congress lawmakers in the face of Union Cabinet approving the draft note on Telangana has witnessed heated arguments between party loyalists and others.
Amid utter chaos, the meeting at Club House in the Ministers’ Quarters here on Thursday, which was attended by 13 ministers, 37 MLAs and nine MLCs from Seemandhra, failed to chalk out any concrete action plan on how to stop bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
During the meeting, the lawmakers resolved to resign from the membership of the Assembly only after defeating the T-resolution in the House.
Sources said during the meeting, some MLAs such as Amanchi Krishna Mohan, Avanti Srinivas and Thota Trimurthulu suggested quitting the party in order to exert pressure on their party high command to suspend the T-process.
When this suggestion was being made, ministers C Ramachandraiah, Kondru Murali Mohan and K Parthasaradhi intervened and came down heavily on those MLAs saying nobody had the right to ask others to quit the party.
“Only those leaders who are planning to join other parties are suggesting the proposal of quitting the party. It is not fair for them,” Kondru Murali Mohan said.
Following this, there was heated argument between the party loyalists and others for a while.
When loyalists like Anam Ramanarayana Reddy and N Raghuveera Reddy felt that asking the Congress leadership to reconsider the Telangana decision was different from quitting the party, MLAs Avanti Srinivas and Amanchi Krishna Mohan tried to hurl abuses at the Congress leadership.
Kondru Murali Mohan and MLC TJR Sudhakar Babu continued to defend the party high command saying, “The Congress high command has decided to bifurcate AP only after all other political parties demanded the same. How can we now find fault with the party leadership?”
Former minister JC Diwakar Reddy is learnt to have advised his peers to lay a siege to the residence of party supremo Sonia Gandhi in Delhi in protest against division of AP.
MP GV Harsha Kumar suggested undertaking aggressive protests such as stopping of gas supply from KG Basin.
The Seemandhra leaders passed two resolutions during the meeting. They resolved to remain committed to the cause of United AP. Second one is to defeat the Telangana resolution if it comes for the consideration of the Assembly, even if a whip is issued.
The ministers present at the meeting include Sake Sailajanath, TG Venkatesh, Ganta Srinivasa Rao, N Raghuveera Reddy, Galla Aruna Kumari, Erasu Pratap Reddy, C Ramachandraiah, Vatti Vasanth Kumar, Anam Ramanarayana Reddy and Kasu Krsihna Reddy. MLAs JC Diwakar Reddy and Gade Venkat Reddy and MPs GV Harsha Kumar and Lagadapati Rajagopal took part.