Turning more aggressive, almost all Seemandhra Ministers and MLAs asked Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana either to impress upon the Congress high command to reverse its stand on Telangana or resign and join the popular movement.
Amid widespread protests rocking the Seemandhra region for the last four days, Mr. Kiran Reddy and Mr. Satyanarayana held a marathon meeting with the MLAs to gauge their mood and apprise the high command of the prevailing situation. AICC secretaries – R.C. Kuntia and Thirunavukarassu were present.
Seventeen Ministers and nearly 80 legislators adopted a one-line resolution that the State should remain united and that the high command should reverse the Congress Working Committee’s decision to partition the State. They said resignation was the only way out to pressure the central leadership.
Many of them demanded that the Chief Minister and the PCC chief should be in tune with the popular sentiment and resign since the central leadership was in no mood to listen to the voice of Seemandhra. Mr. Reddy tried to pacify these leaders saying that so many resignations would only pave the way for President’s rule and advised them to go before the high-level committee and air their opinion. The meeting decided that the committee constituted by the high command should not favour bifurcation till the voice of Seemandhra leaders was heard.
Some MLAs said they would not hesitate to resign from the primary membership of the Congress if its leadership remained adamant. Senior MLA Gade Venkat Reddy asked all the Ministers and legislators to resign.
Kamalapuram MLA G.Veerashiva Reddy, who was the first to resign, insisted that Hyderabad should either be made a Union Territory or permanent joint capital of the two States. Former Minister J.C. Diwakar Reddy suggested that lakhs of Seemandhra people residing in the twin cities should come out in a show of strength to oppose bifurcation.
Earlier, in the day, a group of Telangana Ministers and legislators led by Panchayat Raj Minister K. Jana Reddy, met the Chief Minister and the PCC president and urged them to prevail upon Seemandhra leaders to cooperate in creation of Telangana State. They reassured the people of Seemandhra that they would be provided necessary security in Hyderabad and wanted the Chief Minister to ensure law and order.
