All the Ministers of AP attend official meeting
The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet on Wednesday met for the first time after the announcement for a separate Telangana state was made but none of the ministers, who had threatened to resign from their posts, did so.
"There is no rebellion in the Cabinet. All the 33 ministers attended the official meeting of the Cabinet here today," Information Minister J Geeta Reddy told reporters at the end of the meeting in the Secretariat.
She said ministers from Telangana, coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema have also decided that there would be no more criticism of each other over the state bifurcation issue.
"All have cooled down after the talks with Chief Minister K Rosaiah. We have decided to work together towards a common goal and strengthen his hands," she said.
The ministers decided to observe restraint and work unitedly in the interest of the state. "We are of the view that this is a very sensitive issue which the Congress high command is looking into," Geeta Reddy noted.
The ministers agreed with Rosaiah's contention that development and welfare would badly suffer if the political crisis persisted for too long. Rosaiah was also particular that maintenance of law and order was very important and asked the ministers to take the lead in "cooling down" tempers.
However, sources in the Cabinet said ministers hailing from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions strongly condemned the "police excesses" on protesters in different parts of the regions, particularly the baton charge on students at Sri Krishnadevaraya University in Anantapur on Wednesday.
Agriculture Minister N Raghuveera Reddy, who hails from Anantapur district, raised the issue and expressed serious displeasure over the police excesses.
He referred to SP Charu Sinha, who was specially deputed in Anantapur to oversee law and order in view of the violent protests by students and other sections, and reportedly sought her replacement. Rosaiah, however, did not say anything on replacing the controversial officer but told the agitated ministers that necessary instructions were issued to the police to observe restraint and not to act in a highhanded manner.
Sources in the Cabinet said the (Andhra and Rayalaseema) ministers' ire was directed at Home Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy who strongly condemned the police baton charge on protesters in Osmania University in Hyderabad early this month but remained silent when a similar incident occurred in non-Telangana region.
Geeta Reddy said Rosaiah wanted the ministers to work for restoring normalcy in the state and ensure that law and order did not get out of hand.
