Hyderabad, July 12: A large number of Telangana Congress leaders who quit their posts did not turn for a meeting here on Monday to decide on taking up agitations.
Compared to the number of legislators, ministers and MPs who resigned on July 4, only three ministers out of 11, six MPs out of 10, and 9 MLAs out of 31 and six out of 13 MLCs attended the meeting, which was expected to chalk up action programs. Several reasons are being attributed for the absence of majority of ministers and Legislators for the today’s meeting.
According to sources there was a division among them with some MLAs starting to rethink on their resignations. They said.
“We were told by our elders that immediately after the resignations, the Centre will take a stand on the issue and announce Telangana, but that has not happened. Secondly, Opposition parties like the TRS and the TD are taking advantage of the resignations and maligning the Congress. So, our resignation threat has proved to be futile.”
Some of the Ranga Reddy and Hyderabad based MLAs called on the Chief Minister, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, on Monday and expressed similar feelings. They told him that due to the resignations the Congress’ image and prestige took a beating which they did not anticipate.
Another group of MLAs are sticking to their decision and want to take up agitations even at the cost of losing their membership.
“We have decided to meet the Speaker and request him to accept our resignations,” they told this newspaper. Even some ministers are against taking up any hasty step like launching an agitation against their own government.
“We want to keep quiet for some time without either participating in the agitations or attending to our duties. We will wait for the high command decision on Telangana,” the ministers said.
Sensing the clear division among MLAs and ministers the steering committee headed by minister, Mr Basavaraju Saraiah and Mr Jana Reddy started talking to the ministers to convince them to follow the collective decisions of their body.
Similarly, the Medchal MLA, Mr K. Laxma Reddy met some MLAs and tried his best to rope them in line. “I admit there has been a division within the Legislators, but we are talking to them and sorting out the differences,” Mr Reddy said.
—Agencies