Hyderabad: Several members of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) took exception to the stand of party MLA from Khairatabad, P. Janardhan Reddy, on issues like Pothireddypadu head regulator and Kokapet land sale and advised him to observe restraint.

The outburst against the MLA reportedly began soon after the AICC general secretary and in-charge of AP Congress affairs, Digvijay Singh, left the committee hall of the Assembly where the CLP meeting was convened here on Thursday.

Mr. Janardhan Reddy is reported to have raised the issue of Pothireddypadu and Kokapet land sale accusing the Government of neglecting Telangana region and acting against the interests of farmers. He sought to know whether Rs.53, 000 crore Jala Yagnam programme would benefit Telangana at all as the share of the region in Krishna waters was insufficient.

This provoked several MLAs from Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana regions to take on Mr. Reddy accusing him of harming the party's interests "for personal reasons". Ministers Botsa Satyanarayana and Sabitha Indra Reddy cited the Jala Yagnam as a sign of Government's commitment to develop all regions. In fact, Telangana region was being given a greater focus by the present Government, they argued.

The PCC president, K. Keshava Rao, advised the CLP members to appreciate the Government's efforts in developing the State instead of levelling baseless accusations. He said every decision taken by the Government had the approval of a majority of Congress MLAs.

Towards flood relief

Earlier, Mr. Digvijay Singh and the Chief Minister, Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy, asked the CLP members to apply themselves to the task of governance more seriously.

The meeting resolved that each Congress MLA would donate Rs. 10,000 and the Ministers and MPs Rs. 20,000 each for flood relief work in the State.

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