Like pinpricks to Gulliver, Congress ministers and MLAs from Telangana and Seemandhra on Saturday exerted themselves in prodding the high command, one group for bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, and the other against.
With TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao ensconced in New Delhi, apparently to receive tidings on the creation of Telangana, the decibels were more eager on the Seemandhra side. Six ministers -- S Sailajanath, T G Venkatesh, Kondru Muralimohan, Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Thota Narasimham and Ahmedullah -- 24 MLAs and 7 MLCs from that region assembled at the Minister’s Club in Ministers’ Quarters and puffed themselves up against any move to carve AP in two states.
Sources said there were many voices of pique in the Seemandhra conclave -- billed as a meeting of the AP Congress Legislators Forum -- against the AICC leadership engaging in serious talk, while not inviting them to present their views.
The forum’s convener Sailajanath emerged from the huddle and told reporters that he has divined signals in the air that Telangana is not nigh.
On the other side, minister D K Aruna said she received signals quite to the contrary: the Centre has decided to create a rather chimerical state of Rayala-Telangana. She refused to disclose the source of her intelligence.
To compete with Telangana Congress legislators who have decided to pepper the Centre with letters, the Seemandhra band decided to travel to Delhi this month end to prod harder.
The responsibility of facilitating this mission has been entrusted to Eluru MP Kavuri Sambasiva Rao.
While the Seemandhra conclave rustled up reasonable numbers, some big names were truant: J C Diwakar Reddy, proponent of the Rayala Telangana idea, was one of them.
While the huddle was in session, Telangana supporters tried to besiege the venue but police thwarted them.
Meanwhile, Congress legislators from Telangana drafted a letter to AICC president Sonia Gandhi and managed to shoot it in the direction of Delhi. Their prayer: Let the killing suspense be ended before Sept. 30, when the march on Hyderabad by Telangana groups is scheduled.
This letter too had some notable absentees: Marri Sashidhar Reddy, P Vishnuvardhan Reddy and Jayaprakash Reddy. Government whips Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy and Arepalli Mohan chose to write a separate letter but saying the same thing. The T band too is planning a trip to Delhi.