CM may move resolution for unity
With the Winter Session of Andhra Pradesh legislative Assembly all set to resume from Friday, all eyes were once again focused on the draft State Reorganisation Bill.
Both the supporters and opponents of the division of the State were gearing up for a showdown. While Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has marshaled his resources and wrested the initiative from Telangana supporters by divesting D Sridhar Babu of legislative affairs portfolio, Sridhar Babu was actively considering quitting Cabinet to put the Chief Minister on the defensive.
With the split widening in the ruling party, AICC Secretary Ramchandra Kuntia arrived in Hyderabad to ensure expeditious debate in the Assembly on the Bill.
Kunita would meet the Chief Minister as well as the Ministers from both the Telangana and Seemandhra regions. Senior Telangana Minister K Jana Reddy met Kuntia and strongly protested against the unceremonious shifting of Sridhar Babu from the legislative portfolio.
While Sridhar Babu was adamant on resigning from the Cabinet in what he called protest against attempts to derail Telangna process, Kuntia asked him to meet and discuss the issue. Kuntia said that the Chief Minister was within his powers to reshuffle the
portfolios.
Sridhar Babu also spoke to Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel. Sources said that Ahmed Patel advised him and other Telangana leaders to be patient till month end as high command was abreast of the developments.
New legislative Affairs Minister S Shailajanath, who was among the dead opponents of Telangana was likely to move the draft Telangana Bill in the Assembly. At the same time, he was likely to oppose it saying there were lapses in the Bill and not sufficient information regarding the division was provided.
There were also speculations that the Chief Minister was also likely to spring another surprise by piloting a resolution in support of integrated Andhra Pradesh.
If that happens, it will be a huge embarrassment for the Congress high command as well as the Speaker N Manohar Rao who was in favour of a discussion on State Reorganisation Bill. Then legislative Affairs Minister Sridhar Babu had tabled the Bill in the House. Speaker had announced during the first phase of Winter Session that the Telangana Bill was tabled and had asked the leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu to start the debate. But the Chief Minister had said that the Bill was yet to be tabled.
The Chief Minister spent the last two days in hectic parleys with the Ministers and other leaders from Seemandhra region including JC Diwakar Reddy to fine tune his strategy.
“A resolution in support of united Andhra Pradesh will be moved at an appropriate time,” a Seemandhra Minister said.