Even as the Andhra Pradesh Government employees, divided on regional lines were heading tow ards a confrontation, two Ministers from Andhra-Seema regions on Monday directly submitted their resignations to Governor ESl Narasimhan inprotest against proposed bifurcation of the State.
Unhappy with Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s decision not to forward their resignations to the Governor, two Ministers; Ghanta Srinivas Rao and Erasu Pratap Reddy on Monday met the Governor and urged him to accept their resignations.
Amid the growing indications that the Congress high command was pressing ahead with the process of carving out Telangana State, completely ignoring the 34 days old protests in Andhra-Seema regions, the leaders from there have decided to take their threats of resignation to the logical end.
Earlier four Ministers including Vishwaroop and Kasu Venkat Krishna Reddy had decided to meet the Governor and quit but finally only two of them visited Raj Bhavan and handed over their resignations to him. Vishwaroop said that he will wait till November 1.
Earlier, three Ministers including Krishna Reddy met the Chief Minister and asked him to forward their pending resignations to the Governor. As they could not get satisfying reply from him, two of them decided to go to the Governor personally. “The Governor told us that he will again forward it to the Chief Minister for his decision,” said Ganta Srinivas Rao. “If our resignation was accepted we will take part in the agitation against bifurcation.”
But another senior Minister from Rayalaseema N Raghuveera Reddy ruled out his resignation from Cabinet or Congress party. “Resignations are not a solution. Problem will be solved if it was approached in a proper manner,” he said. The Revenue Minister said that only weak and opportunist people will go to another party. “I will stay in Congress,” he said.
It happened on a day when Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said in New Delhi that the Telangana resolution will be placed before the Cabinet within 20 days.
Earlier it will be sent to the law Ministry for its opinion. There were speculations that the Cabinet may take up the proposal on September 12. While massive protests were continuing in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema demanding stop to the process of division, tensions were rising between the Government employees of Telangana and Andhra-Seema regions in Hyderabad.
Apprehensions of ugly clashes in the State Secretariat were increasing day-by-day as the employees of both the sides were holding noisy demonstrations against each other in violations of the restrictions imposed by the Government.
Tensions were further inflamed by the threat of the anti-Telangana APNGOs to organise “Save Andhra Pradesh” Rally on Saturday and decision of Telangana supporters to oppose it with another “Million March”.