The Hindu : CFT leaders breathe defiance

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 12, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad

CFT leaders breathe defiance

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD Aug. 11. The Congress high command persisted with its efforts to tackle the "tough stand'' taken by some leaders of the Congress Forum for Telangana (CFT), including legislators, on the Telangana issue.

But the CFT leaders maintained at a press conference on Monday that they would not go to Delhi "without a firm assurance on their specific demands.''

``We have made many trips to Delhi in the past which proved futile. We are not prepared to face any such embarrassment,'' they said.

The CFT leaders claimed that some more MLAs had resigned.

The CFT leaders, G. Chinna Reddy, P. Govardhan Reddy, A. Indrakaran Reddy, MLAs, and K. Kesava Rao, at a press conference earlier, claimed that four more legislators joined their ranks in voicing protest against the attitude of the high command. They listed out the names J. Krishna Rao (Kollapur), P. Veeraiah (Mulug), V. Purushotham Reddy (Ramannapet), G. Gurunath Reddy (Kodangal).

However, when contacted by The Hindu, Messrs Krishna Rao and Veeraiah denied having sent in their resignation letters to the AICC president, Sonia Gandhi, and termed the CFT claim "outrageous.''

They said they had no intention to leave the Congress. Their commitment to Telangana, however, was total, they maintained.

The CFT leaders further claimed that the municipal chairperson of Kagaznagar, Kaveti Saileela, and some PCC members had also resigned. They declared that the Kranti yatras, a programme given by the AICC, had been stalled in all Telangana districts due to their resignations.

They said they would hold a meeting of the Congress legislators from Telangana on August 17 to arrive at a consensus on the issue.

High command will sort

it out: Srinivas

NEW DELHI AUG. 11. The newly-appointed Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president, D. Srinivas, today expressed optimism that the problem of four MLAs who sent in their resignation to the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, would be settled amicably.

Mr. Srinivas, who arrived here today for a meeting with the party leaders, in an informal interaction with presspersons said the issue raised by the four MLAs with regard to separate Telangana was being looking into by the party Central leadership.

The new APCC chief said that these MLAs were well within their rights to communicate their grievances to the party president directly and did not see the move as any affront to the State leadership.

"They are disciplined members of the Congress party who have stated that Ms. Sonia Gandhi is their leader and that they were not joining any party or leaving the Congress. I appreciate their statement,'' Mr. Srinivas said.

Though he has held talks with these MLAs, he insisted that the Pradesh Congress Committee had no role to play in sorting out the issue. "It is between the MLAs and the party high command,'' he asserted.

Ahmed Patel, political secretary to the Congress president, had been in touch with these MLAs and had asked them to come to Delhi to discuss their problems.

Mr. Srinivas said he would formally assume charge as PCC chief on August 13. The new APCC chief said he would call on Ms. Sonia Gandhi and thank her for giving him an opportunity to lead the party in the State.

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