The Congress on Tuesday set aside speculations that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy was considering to float a new party to protest the decision to bifurcate the State.
Party general secretary Digvijay Singh said that Reddy is a loyal Congressman and he will not leave the party. On Telangana Bill being sent to Andhra Pradesh Assembly, Singh said that it was for Home Ministry to decide.
“It depends on the Home Ministry. After all they should decide looking into the precedents, legal requirements and constitutional provisions under which the new state is being created,” he stated.
The AICC general secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh affairs denied reports that he had spoken with a Union Minister from Seemandhra on making Hyderabad a Union Territory.
“I have not discussed anything like Union Territory issue with anyone. Therefore, I do not know whatever anyone has said and he should have misunderstood,” Singh said.
Singh also appealed to Congress MPs to “look at the reality” and stand by the commitment that they have made to respect the Congress high command’s decision. Four Congress MPs from Seemandhra region submitted their resignations against division of Andhra Pradesh for the second time on Monday, after lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar rejected them on Friday.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Information and Public Relations Minister Aruna D K met Digvijay Singh, requesting the Congress general secretary to urge AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi to contest from Mahabubnagar parliamentary constituency in Telangana region.