In a clear indication that he is prepared to take advantage of the anti-bifurcation sentiments in Seemandhra following the Cabinet clearance of the draft Bill, chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy on Saturday made the most daring attack yet on the Congress high command.
Addressing a meeting in the coastal town of Vijayawada, Kiran tore into the Congress’ decision accusing it of trying to appease Telangana activist K Chandrasekhar Rao and facilitate its rebel and YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy.
The chief minister vowed to defeat the draft Bill after debating every reason it had put forth for bifurcation.
At the massive public rally, which the chief minister addressed after inaugurating the Rs 1835 crore Dr KL Rao Sagar Pulichintala project in Guntur district, he charged the Congress of letting Andhra Pradesh people down despite thriving on their support.
“Why has the Congress party done this to Andhra Pradesh, which gave it 41 seats in 1977 (in the post-emergency elections), 30 in 2004 and 33 in 2009? Is it our fault that we brought the UPA (to power)?” he asked.
Ever since the cabinet cleared the Telangana Bill, interest among state political watchers has been mounting on Kiran’s next move. The chief minister is said to have instructed his lieutenants in Seemandhra to form a political Joint Action Committee (JAC) along with the YSR Congress and the TDP to put up a collective fight against the Centre.
Kiran was widely expected to resign his position after the Centre put Telangana on fast-track, but the chief minister has attempted to transform himself from a mere opponent of the bifurcation decision into a champion of the integration cause even at the risk of alienating Congress central leadership.
At the public meeting, the chief minister asked how Congress could join hands with KCR, Jagan or Chandrababu Naidu to bifurcate the state. “They can make any of them chief minister of (united) Andhra Pradesh, but they should not divide the state for their sake,” he thundered.
“These (external) elements are not permanent supporters of Congress. (Only) Congress workers like me are,” he said.
In an emotional tone, the chief minister asked how the Centre could see the fury of the Telangana agitation and overlook the “sentiments” behind the 70-day Seemandhra agitation.
The massive rally also saw prominent Seemandhra leaders in attendance.