A day after his return from Delhi, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy had to taste the wrath of the Congress leadership for throwing his weight behind the ongoing Samaikyandhra movement.
AICC State affairs incharge Digvijay Singh, who had been critical of Kiran Reddy behind closed doors till the other day, almost reprimanded him in public on Wednesday. In what could be seen as a stern warning to Kiran Reddy to more or less mend his ways, Digvijay Singh, speaking to reporters in Delhi, said, “Kiran Reddy is the Chief Minister of entire AP. So, his responsibility is not confined to only one region. He is responsible for the entire State.”
Interestingly, Singh’s strongly-worded comment came minutes after he had met party president Sonia Gandhi. According to sources, the Congress leadership is angry at the Chief Minister as he has been repeatedly assuring party leaders from Seemandhra that the State would not be bifurcated till 2014 elections.
When Kiran Reddy met some ministers and Congress MPs from Seemandhra on Tuesday, he is learnt to have told them he would personally meet and urge President Pranab Mukherjee to reject the T Bill, if the T resolution was defeated in the State Assembly.
Sources said a section of leaders in the AICC high command believe the Chief Minister is further fuelling the stir in Seemandhra with his pro-Samaikyandhra stance. In fact, Digvijaya Singh had also expressed his displeasure over the attitude of Kiran Reddy when wives of Seemandhra ministers called on him recently, saying, “Your Chief Minister has come in the way of announcing a good financial package for Seemandhra with his opposition to our party’s decision to bifurcate the State.”
Digvijay Singh, on Wednesday, also made light of the APNGOs’ strike.
Diggy Reminds Defiant Kiran of His Role as CM
“Private establishments, shops are open and private transport services are running in Seemandhra. Then how could government offices alone be closed? When private schools are functioning, how could government-run schools alone be shut?” he wondered. He appealed to the APNOGs to call off their strike. “I request the APNGOs with folded hands to call off their strike. We are ready to listen to their apprehensions. But, I urge them to please end their strike. We will ensure that every single employee of the undivided Andhra Pradesh gets his due while dividing the state,” he said.
Asked about the T note, he said, “The Telangana note is being drafted by the Union Home Ministry. As soon as it is presented to the Union Cabinet, it will be sent to the AP Assembly.”
Earlier, the AICC general secretary had called on his party boss Sonia. This meeting assumes significance as Singh met her after hectic lobbying by Seemandhra MPs and Telangana ministers in Delhi for their respective causes in the aftermath of Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde’s statement that the draft note on Telangana was with him.