Six Seemandhra MPs Get a Vote of No-confidence From Congress

Probably for the first time in its history, the Congress has barred six of its own Lok Sabha members from Seemandhra from the AICC session to be held at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi on Friday.

According to sources, invitations and passes for the convention did not reach the six MPs, who had sought to move a no-trust motion against their own party-led government in Parliament during the winter session. Adding insult to injury, the party’s Telangana MPs were “cordially invited” to the session.

The six MPs who were not invited are: Lagadapati Rajagopal, Sabbam Hari, Vundavalli Arunkumar, A Sai Pratap, Rayapati Sambasiva Rao and GV Harsha Kumar. “It is very unfortunate that we have not been issued passes. But that is not going to deter us. We will definitely go to the venue and stage a protest,” Anakapalli MP Sabbam Hari said. The MPs believe their anti-Telangana stand has made the party leadership develop cold feet. A few days ago, Lagadapati Rajagopal had written to the party leadership seeking permission to move a resolution, reversing the July 30 CWC decision in favour of division of the state, at the AICC session.

The MPs are finding it difficult to digest the development as Congress leaders consider it a privilege to attend the AICC session where key decisions are taken. An enraged Lagadapati Rajagopal fumed, “We are members of the AICC. How come the party does not issue passes to us? We will find out from the party itself tomorrow.”

Former minister JC Diwakar Reddy, who too did not get an invite, said, “The party probably thought invitation to Seemandhra leaders won’t serve any purpose. The party is already dead there. No important leader worth his salt in Seemandhra has been invited to the AICC session.”

T-debate today; CM to skip AICC Meet

The State Assembly will resume the T debate today and it is likely to be acrimonious what with Seemandhra MLAs set to seek more time from the President to discuss the T bill and their Telangana counterparts likely to object to the same. It is learnt that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy shot off a letter to AICC gen-sec Janardhan Dwivedi expressing his inability to attend the AICC session.

Jagan Changes Floor Tactics

The YSRC legislators went into a huddle with their party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday and decided to “express their opinion” against the T bill in the Assembly but not take part in the debate. They will also be insisting on voting on the bill. The change of stand coincided with rebel Cong MP Sabbam Hari hitting out at Jagan. He slammed Jagan for allegedly joining hands with the Congress.