After some Union ministers dumped the United AP demand and decided to opt for extracting a good financial package for their region, some state ministers too are changing tack.
Tribal welfare minister Pasupuleti Bala Raju, who till the other day, vociferously opposed division of Andhra Pradesh, altogether sang a different tune on Wednesday.
The latest rhetoric of Bala Raju is: “Now, people of the state have got clarity that bifurcation of AP is certain. If we throw the interests of Seemandhra to wind at this critical juncture, it would amount to deceiving the people. Hence, we will chalk out ways to exert pressure on our party leadership to address the needs of Seemandhra.”
Joining chorus with Union minister D Purandeswari, Bala Raju said bifurcation of AP was now a reality and Seemandhra leaders would fight for the rights of the people of their region.
He divulged they would soon go to Delhi and meet the Group of Ministers (GoM), formed to look into the issues arising out of division of AP, to protect the rights of Seemandhra.
Purandeswari, who on Tuesday said when it was certain that Telangana would be a reality there was no point in demanding something that was not going to be delivered, reiterated her new stance on Wednesday.
Addressing mediapersons in Vijayawada, she said though she was a staunch integrationist, as division of AP was certain she would henceforth fight for the interests of the people of Seemandhra.
She felt that people of her region wanted decentralisation of administration in the event of bifurcation in order to develop the region.
“We can protect the interests of Seemandhra by continuing in our posts. We will meet the GoM and suggest how the rights of Seemandhra can be protected during bifurcation. We will also tell the GoM about the resources we need to develop our region,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Seemandhra Congress leaders are going to hold a meeting at the Ministers’ Quarters here on Thursday.
Minister Sake Sailajanath, who is the convener of AP Congress Legislators’ Forum, formulated the agenda of the meeting by holding confabulations with party veteran Gade Venkata Reddy at the Congress Legislature Party office here on Wednesday.
After the meeting, Sailajanath dared the Union ministers such as Purandeswari, who are talking of inevitability of division of AP, to go and tell the same thing to people of Seemandhra if they had guts.
Despite the willingness expressed by Purandeswari and Bala Raju to meet the GoM, Sailajanath made it clear they would not recognise the GoM.
He said during Thursday’s meeting, they would formulate a fresh action plan on how to exert pressure on their party high command to keep the state united.
Differing with Sailajanath, Bala Raju said, “Those who believe the Congress ideology should respect the T-decision taken by the Congress Working Committee.” Minister Kondru Murali Mohan said the Seemndhra MLAs would oppose the Telangana resolution in the Assembly, but none would leave the party.