Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy is licking his wounds as his hopes of becoming the champion of a united state are shattered. He had questioned the Congress decision to divide the State about 10 days after its announcement and hoped there would be a ground swell of support for him in Seemandhra.
He followed it up with a tirade in an interview and a press conference. Taking on the party leadership, he wondered how could the Congress working committee set aside decisions made by former PMs Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, who believed in keeping the State united.
But, sources said, a survey conducted by the Chief Minister’s Office found his bravado had few takers in Seemandhra. If anything, it has backfired on him. Several ministers in Seemandhra have rebelled against him. They believe Kiran, by trying to be bigger than the party, has severely tarnished the image of the Congress in Seemandhra where it is already in tatters. Serious questions are also being raised as to why he did not confront the party earlier as he was privy to information that a Telangana State will be formed.
Even the ‘sycophants’, a word Rural Development Minister Dokka Manikya Varaprsad used to describe Kiran confidants, are not keen on floating a new party. Several Congress leaders are testing waters in Jagan’s camp or the TDP and those who do not fit in either, are planning a five-year -long political holiday.