Strife in Cong over Telangana; Andhra leaders meet CM

Congress leaders from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, who are opposed to creation of Telangana, held a closed door meeting with Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy here today.

A source said that Reddy, who himself is opposed to the bifurcation, may consider resigning if the proposal goes through.

Ministers T G Venkatesh, Erasu Pratap Reddy, Dokka Manikya Varaprasad, Ganta Srinivasa Rao, MP Ananta Venkatarami Reddy and a few MLAs and MLCs held a meeting with the CM at the Secretariat this afternoon to discuss the emerging political scenario.

The Central Working Committee of the Congress is scheduled to meet in New Delhi tomorrow to take a final call on the contentious issue.

As he would leave for New Delhi tomorrow, there was talk in the Secretariat today that the Chief Minister could indeed put in his papers if the Congress decided to divide the state.

'That's a certainty,' a minister said without going into details.

'No decision has been taken yet (by the high command). We hope they will not take an overnight decision,' Venkatesh told reporters after the meeting.

'If (TDP chief) Chandrababu Naidu and (YSRC honorary president) Vijayamma give a single line letter that they are for a unified state, we will see that nothing happens,' Venkatesh said.

He hastened to add that onus was more on Union Cabinet ministers and MPs from Andhra-Rayalaseema to prevent division of the state.

Venkatesh said all state ministers gave a letter to the high command stating they would not continue in their posts if a decision to divide the state was taken.