The disconnect between chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and his peers from Telangana is now complete.
On Monday evening, Kiran Reddy is going to hold a meeting only with ministers and Congress leaders from Seemandhra on bifurcation issues, to present proposals to the GoM, sensing that those from Telangana might not attend the meeting if he calls them. Alternatively, PCC chief Botcha Satyanarayana will meet the Telangana ministers and leaders. The PCC boss will hold the meeting either at his residence or Gandhi Bhavan on Monday morning to formally collect their opinions.
However, Botcha will also participate in the Seemandhra Congress leaders’ meeting, scheduled to take place at Kiran Reddy’s camp office in the evening. It is an open secret that the two top leaders of the state Congress, Kiran Reddy and Botcha, have been treading different paths ever since their party leadership has decided to bifurcate the state. If Botcha is backing the T-decision, Kiran Reddy is challenging it.
Kiran Reddy has become a persona non grata for Telangana Congress leaders with his repeated salvos at his party high command over bifurcation, and the chief minister, on his part, has stopped holding exclusive meetings with them.
Monday’s two meetings are aimed at gathering the views of party leaders on either side of the divide.
Fireworks ON CARDS: The meeting of Seemandhra ministers and Congress leaders is likely to witness fireworks between party loyalists and Kiran Reddy’s followers.
Ministers like Sake Sailajanath and Ganta Srinivasa Rao are against submitting any memorandum to the GoM, saying it will amount to accepting division of AP. These ministers are also opposing the very idea of taking part in the proposed all-party meet.
However, ministers like Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, Kondru Murali Mohan and P Bala Raju want to present their case before the GoM to protect the interests of Seemandhra.