Move to bring Seemandhra, T Congress leaders together

Hyderabad: Efforts are on to bring the Seemandhra and Telangana Congress leaders on one platform so that the differences that had arisen between them after the CWC decision to bifurcate the state are narrowed down. It may be recalled that the Telangana ministers have not been interacting either with their colleagues from Seemandhra region or Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy. They have also been holding separate meetings to work out strategies on the issue of separate T state. Even the informal talks the MLAs and MLCs from both the regions used to have in the Congress Legislature Party office have not been taking place.

In view of this, AICC secretary Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy met Ministers Ganta Srinivasa Rao and Erasu Pratap Reddy and senior party leader J C Diwakar Reddy and discussed the proposal. Sudhakar Reddy feels that in the pro and anti- Telangana fight, the Congress leaders were unable even to defend AICC president Sonia Gandhi who is being targeted by the TDP and other opposition parties.

The meeting is likely to be held towards the end of the week. Sudhakar Reddy said, “ I am in touch with several Telangana leaders including Panchayat Raj ministers K Jana Reddy, former PCC president D Srinivas, D K Aruna, N Uttam Kumar Reddy and K R Amos as well as Erasu Pratap Reddy and other Seemandhra leaders. Asked if the initiative was being taken on the advice of the high command, he said, it was his own and he was not prompted by anybody. He said he felt bad that the party leaders from both the regions were not seeing eye to eye.

He said the party high command had decided to b ifurcate the state after prolonged consultations and talking to MPs and MLAs from both the regions and all had agreed to abide by the decision of the party. But after the announcement of the CWC decision, instead of cooperating for smooth transition, both sides got divided and are criticizing each other in public. This was adversely affecting the party image in both the regions. Even when opposition parties were leveling baseless allegations against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, no one was reacting or condemning them for fear of retribution from their respective regions.

However it remains to be seen as to how many leaders from both the regions would come forward to attend the meeting. The Seemandhra ministers on Monday decided to intensify their lobbying to stall the process of bifurcation and organize a 48-hour deeksha in Hyderabad and also take separate delegation of students, farmers and traders who would explain why they were opposed to the bifurcation of the state.