Shashidhar to lead T Cong delegation to Delhi

• It is essential to ensure political stability of govt
• To seek increase in number of T Assembly seats
• T leaders reject CM remark on spurt in Naxalism

Hyderabad: A delegation of the Telangana Congress leaders under the leadership of NDMA vice-chairman M Shashidhar Reddy will go to New Delhi on Monday. It will meet the GoM and other leaders of Congress high command to urge them to insert a provision in the T Bill to increase the number of seats in the new Assembly from 119 to 153 once Telangana state was formed.

The T leaders, who met Shashidhar Reddy here on Sunday, rejected the argument of the Chief Minister and other Seemandhra leaders that carving of a Separate state would lead to spurt in Naxalism and extremism.

Talking to media, Shashidhar Reddy said that there was a precedent to their demand of increasing the number of seats in the T Assembly. He said, "A provision was inserted in the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act-2000 while carving Uttarakhand out of UP to increase the Assembly seats in that state from 25 to 70.

Similarly, the number of Assembly seats in T State should also be increased by adding another 34 seats to the existing 119 seats in order to ensure that politically stable government is established in the T-state," he said.

He further said that dividing Lok Sabha seats into smaller Assembly segments would help electors in every manner as the concerned MLA could effectively concentrate on the needs of his constituents, thus paving way for "better administration".

Reddy said that the delegation led by him would meet the Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde in Delhi on Tuesday in this regard.

Joins CM hopefuls

Marri Shashidhar Reddy appears to be a new entrant in the race of Chief Minister for Telangana State.

Reddy who had confined himself mostly to the activities of NDMA in New Delhi, held meetings with T leaders on Saturday and Sunday. The meeting resolved to urge the Centre to insert a provision in the T Bill to increase the Assembly seats in the region from the existing 119 to 153 in order to establish "politically stable government" in the new state.

Union Minister P Balram Naik told media at lake view guest house after the meeting of T leaders on Sunday that Shashidhar Reddy was also a potential candidate for the post of the first CM of the T State. Naik said, "Being the son of former CM Marri Chenna Reddy, who had contributed a lot to the T movement, Shashidhar Reddy is eligible in every aspect to become the CM of the new state."

Minister for Women and Child welfare V Sunitha Lakshma Reddy, however, said on Sunday that she would welcome if Congress high command made Kanna Lakshminarayana and D Srinivas as the CMs of Seemandhra and Telangana respectively, after bifurcation. Shashidhar Reddy, however, told media persons that he was not aspiring to be the Chief Minister and that all these days he had been silently putting in his efforts at the AICC-level to accord statehood to his region.

It may be mentioned here that soon after the announcement made by CWC to divide the state, the Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy had not only become a focal point for T Congress leaders but also has been taking keen interest in T issue. He has also been attending the thanksgiving meetings organised by T Congress leaders. Recently, another Union Minister Sarve Satyanarayana also joined the race. Speaking to the media here recently, he said he would not be able to say ‘No’ if ‘Sonia Amma’ asked him to take up the responsibility.

Congress sources say that there are some more aspirants in the race like D Sridhar Babu, Ponnala Lakshmaiah and Rajya Sabha MP V Hanumantha Rao. Deputy Chief Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha and veterans like D Srinivas and K Jana Reddy have already thrown their hat into the ring.