Seemandhra stir set to escalate

• Leaders, ministers confer with CM Kiran Reddy
• Say no to joint capital or Rayala T proposals
• Botcha says high command decision irreversible
• Participants wondered then why such a meeting at all
• CM persuaded them to make their stand clear to Antony
• Meeting decides to spearhead agitations further
• To force Central ministers to quit after Monsoon session
• Raghuveera, TG, Balaraju, Raghuveera abstain

Hyderabad: Congress leaders and ministers from Seemandhra region who met Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy here on Saturday, three days ahead of the scheduled meeting with A K Antony Committee in New Delhi, decided that they should intensify their agitation for united State and mount pressure on the party high command if necessary by convincing the Central ministers to resign once the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament comes to an end.

The meeting which lasted over four hours at the CM Camp Office was attended by all ministers from the region barring T G Venkatesh, P Balaraju, N Raghuveera Reddy and S Vijayaramaraju. Among others who participated in the meeting were 36 MLAs and 8 MLCs. The PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana was also present.

The ministers were said to have a heated argument with PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana when he said that nothing could be done now since the high command had made it clear that the decision was irreversible. The Seemandhra leaders were learnt to have said that if that were the case the PCC president and the CM should not have convened this meeting. They further said if that were the case, they should not meet the Antony Committee on 20. It would be enough if a one line resolution in support of united Andhra was passed and forwarded to the committee.

Intervening at this stage, Kiran Kumar Reddy was understood to have said that they should go before the committee and submit a detailed report on why the State should not be bifurcated. It was felt that a delegation of about 10 leaders should meet the Antony Committee and explain their viewpoint.

If the Antony panel still maintains the decision on Telangan is final then they can walk out and decide on next course of action. Ganta Srinivasa Rao reportedly said they should insist that the Committee visit Hyderabad after the Monsoon Session. The meeting also decided to prevail upon the Union Ministers to resign immediately as and when the Cabinet note on Telangana was circulated, all MPs should oppose the bill when it is introduced in Parliament and resign immediately.

At the state-level, the MLAs should defeat the resolution in the Assembly and resign on the spot and go to the people. The members also cautioned against certain leaders from the region who had been telling the party leadership that they would convince the Seemandhra leaders to tow the party line.

According to MLA Bandaru Satyananda Rao, they also decided that no leader would speak on any other option like Hyderabad as joint permanent capital or Rayala Telangana. The meeting felt that all leaders should take one common stand that they would not accept anything short of united Andhra Pradesh, Rao added.