Date:22/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/22/stories/2008022255180600.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Rajasekhara Reddy to visit Venkataswamy’s house

Top Congress leaders from Telangana hold meet
To impress upon YSR to convince high command

HYDERABAD: In a bid to break the ice, Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy will pay a visit to the residence of the Congress Working Committee member G. Venkataswamy on Friday evening.

He will meet the senior leader over dinner at the latter’s residence after returning from Warangal where he will participate in the Medaram jatara. In wake of this development, senior Congress leaders from Telangana held a meeting on Thursday to review their stand.

APSRTC chairman M. Satyanayana Rao, Telangana Regional Development Board chairman V. Purushottam Reddy, Palvai Goverdhan Reddy and other seniors were likely to attend the meeting.

Sources said the seniors would try to impress upon the Chief Minister in their first-ever face-to-face meeting that he should take the initiative and convince the high command that a separate Telangana state should be created. They would request him to impress upon the high command to take an early decision. Earlier, Mr. Purushottam Reddy refuted reports that they were pressured to postpone the Bhongir meeting slated for March 10. “We decided to put off the meeting to March 24 as we do not want to send a wrong signal to the high command on the eve of the visit of AICC president Sonia Gandhi to the city on March 14,” he added.

Decision welcomed

Supporters of the Chief Minister welcomed the decision of the seniors to put off the meeting. Nirmal MLA A. Indrakaran Reddy said they were also in favour of a separate State and would meet the party president in New Delhi to put forth the aspirations of the people.

Another Congress MLA Komatreddy Venkat Reddy appealed to the Congress workers not to attend the Bhongir meeting as it was not officially organised by the party.