Though it is a fact that almost the entire Cabinet of Andhra Pradesh is asking Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy to go slow on the issue of accepting the resignation of Roads and Buildings Minister Dharmana Prasad Rao, charge-sheeted by the CBI recently in a corruption case, the party high command, pointing out the issue of morality, is considering whether Mr. Reddy could be asked to accept the resignation.
A clear picture will emerge after Mr. Reddy, who rushed to the capital on Thursday following summons from the AICC, meets Congress president Sonia Gandhi here. Sources recalled the resignation of then Steel Minister Vir Bhadra Singh (from the Cabinet) and party MP Suresh Kalmadi (from party posts) after charge-sheets into the corruption cases against them were filed in the court.
“So there cannot be different rules for different persons in the party. Moreover, the CBI cannot be accused of filing a false case as the Congress is at the helm of affairs both in the State and at the Centre,” a senior leader said hinting at the possibility of Mr. Prasad being shown the door.
In the case of other Ministers – J. Geetha Reddy, Sabitha Indra Reddy, Ponnala Lakshmaiah and Kanna Lakshminarayana – it was pointed out by the AICC that they had only been given notice by the Supreme Court and appropriate decision might be taken if they were charge-sheeted by the CBI in the court, sources said.
Mr. Reddy had hectic consultations on the issue with party seniors and Union Ministers A.K. Antony, P. Chidambaram and Ghulam Nabi Azad.
The Chief Minister was informed that if the resignation was still kept on hold then it might send a bad signal to the public and give another chance to the Opposition parties in the State to beat the Congress.
