Andhra Pradesh is headed for President’s Rule after Kiran Kumar Reddy resigned from the post of Chief Minister on Wednesday in protest against the passage of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill in the lok Sabha. He also announced his resignation from the Assembly and the Congress party, with which he was associated throughout his political career.
After addressing a media conference at his camp office, Kiran drove straight to the Raj Bhavan and submitted his resignation to Governor ESl Narasimhan. He was accompanied by 15 Congress MlAs and only eight of the 21 Seemandhra Ministers.
The Governor immediately accepted his resignation. He did not even make the customary request to him to continue as caretaker till alternate arrangements were made.
With the majority of Congress MlAs and ministers from Seemandhra not standing with Kiran Reddy in quitting the Government, it is obvious that he has lost the grip over the party. Galla Aruna Kumari, S Shailajanath, TG Venkatesh, E Pratap Reddy, Pitani Satyanaryana, Parthasarathi and Ganta Srinivas Rao were among the ministers who resigned along with the CM. But many of them were looking towards either TDP or YSR Congress.
State Congress president Botsa Satyanarayana, senior Ministers A Ramanarayana Reddy, Kanna lakshminarayana, N Raghuveera Reddy, Vatti Sasantha Kumar, D Manikya Varaprasad Rao and Kondru Murli Mohan were among those who kept away from the Chief Minister. Botsa declared he will remain in the Congress.
Union Minister Purandeswari and member of lok Sabha Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, both from Andhra, have announced their resignations from Congress party. Reddy faxed his resignation to Sonia Gandhi.
Kiran Reddy, however, remained silent on the prospect of forming new party. “That is not important. I am fighting to keep the state united so that the people don’t suffer,” he said. “If I had kept quiet I could have continued in Congress. But I decided to quit as the future of Telugu people is important for me,” he said.
In an attempt to placate the people of Telangana, Kiran Reddy said, “I respect the sentiments of Telangana people. I am sorry if my struggle to keep the State united has hurt any body,” he said.