Union minister K Chiranjeevi has courted controversy by saying that his personal opinion on the Telangana issue differs from that that of the party.
Without divulging his opinion, he said, “I have expressed my views on Telangana several times .
But since I merged my Praja Rajyam party with the Congress, my views are irrelevant now.
I, as a member of the party, will abide by whatever decision the Congress leadership takes on the Telangana issue.”
Before the merger of his party with the Congress Chiranjeevi had openly opposed the demand for division of the state.
Chiranjeevi suggested to his party leadership to take a quick decision on the issue to end the political uncertainty and keep the state government stable.
PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana called on Chiranjeevi at the latter’s office in Delhi on Monday and formally congratulated him on becoming a Union minister.
Soon after the meeting, Chiranjeevi addressed the media there.
He said that the Congress party’s landslide victory in the just-held cooperative society elections was a good augury for the party which is gearing up for the 2014 general election.
“Thinking that the YSR Congress Party would split the Congress votebank, the TDP leadership has day-dreamed all these days that it would emerge as a winner in the polls.
But its calculations went wrong and the Congress emerged as a clear victor.
I am sure the cooperative poll results will be repeated in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in 2014,” he said.
Asked about chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy ’ s c l a im tha t though the Congress had not taken any decision on Telangana, the party did well in the cooperative polls, the Union minister said that he did not want to say anything on it.
However, he was happy that the results proved that farmers were with the Congress.
Asked whether it would not amount to cheating the people of Telangana by postponing the decision even after the expiry of the deadline of January 28, Chiranjeevi replied, “Party state affairs incharge Ghulam Nabi Azad has given a good answer.
When Azad himself has made it clear that there is no deadline for completion of consultations, I can’t say anything further on it.”