The Congress High Command is now engaged in a serious exercise to elicit views of senior party leaders from Andhra Pradesh with regard to the feasibility of installing an interim government instead of imposing President’s Rule following the resignation of Kiran Kumar Reddy as Chief Minister.
As part of this mission, Digvijay Singh, AICC General Secretary in charge of party affairs in the State, has been holding consultations with State party leaders available in the national capital. He had prolonged discussions this morning with APCC president Botcha Satyanarayana in this regard.
It is pertinent to note here that many senior party leaders, including ministers and legislators belonging to both Seemandhra and Telangana regions, are firmly opposed to the State being brought under Central rule. They have been very vocal in this regard and have even told the Central party leaders about it.
There is no denial of the fact that even the PCC Chief is averse to imposition of President’s Rule as he too is an aspirant to take the reins as an interim Chief Minister. As a matter of fact, there are many senior ministers and leaders from both the regions, who have been nurturing the ambition of becoming Chief Minister even if it is for an interim period till the 2014 elections.
Thus the Congress High Command seemed to have decided to have wider consultations with party leaders, especially from the Seemandhra region, who are already nurturing a grouse for being dumped like a hot potato in the State bifurcation issue. In an attempt to appease the ruffled feelings of the Seemandhra leaders and also to give them a sense of importance by taking them into confidence of its future moves, the High Command seemed to have decided to invite the Seemandhra leaders to rush to New Delhi for discussions.
The statement of the Union minister from Seemandhra region J. D. Seelam that a meeting of all the Union Ministers from the region would be held soon for chalking out ways and means to incorporate the 39 issues pertaining 13 ministries identified for inclusion in the A.P. Reorganization Bill 2014 as amendments so that they could become statutory obligation for implementation. This assertion of Seelam only strengthens the serious thinking on the part of Central leadership to take on board the Seemandhra leaders keeping in view the imperative support and cooperation needed what with the fluid and volatile political situation prevailing at a time when the general elections are round the corner. (NSS)