Hyderabad, January 14: Political atmosphere in the state capital turned hot today with health minister DL Ravindra Reddy seeking time from deputy speaker Nadendla Manohar to put into motion his challenge that he was prepared to quit and whether YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s five loyalist MLAs from Kadapa district would do likewise and seek reelection to find out on whose side the people were.
Ravindra Reddy, who met the deputy speaker at a dinner hosted by chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy for Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad last night, wanted him to give him an appointment for a specific date. But Manohar said he would be away for about a week for Sankranti vacation and that he would be free to see him later.
When contacted, Ravindra Reddy said that he had sought time from the deputy speaker to tell all the five Jagan Mohan Reddy loyalist MLAs from Kadapa district that when he dared them, he was serious and was not bluffing.
“I wanted to take time from the deputy speaker and announce the time and date to find out if the five MLAs would be willing to meet the deputy speaker. When they approach the deputy speaker, I will be there and all of of us will quit our memberships of the Assembly and face by-elections,” Ravindra Reddy said.
The minister’s offer of resignation followed the challenge hurled by h Jagan Mohan Reddy’s Kadapa MLAs whether Ravindra Reddy would be able to win the elections without using the name of YS Rajasekahra Reddy or his programmes.
Reacting to this, Ravindra Reddy told them that he was ready to quit his membership of the Assembly and fight the by-election as a Congress nominee and win the election convincingly.
The five MLAs, during Jala Deeksha in Delhi two days ago, said that if Ravindra Reddy was willing they had no objection but placed one rider.
They wanted the remaining two ministers from the district YS Vivekananda Redy, Ahmadulla and Congress loyalist MLA from Kamalapur Veera Siva Reddy also to resign so that there would be by-elections for all the Assembly seats besides the Lok Sabha seat which Jagan Mohan Reddy had vacated from Kadapa district.
Ravindra Reddy said he had no objection if his two ministerial colleagues too resigned and sought reelection but he could not talk on their behalf.
“To resign or not is their discretion. How can I speak on their behalf?” the minister said but pointed out that if all the legislators from the district resigned and went for by-elections, it would be only the Congress candidates who would be elected and not YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s men.
When contacted, Gandikota Srikanth Reddy, one of the five Jagan Mohan Reddy loyalist MLAs, said that they were aware of the challenge of Ravindra Reddy and wanted to know if he was aware of their condition all MLAs from the district should resign. “Anyway we have to first discus the matter among ourselves and with our leader,” Srikanth Reddy said.
–Agencies