Former Minister and Congress legislator Komatireddy Venkat Reddy hit out at Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy in the Assembly on Thursday, saying that he should have resigned to uphold values in the wake of his defiance of the Congress party’s decision to divide the State.
Participating in the debate on A.P. Reorganisation Bill, he expressed gratitude to the Centre and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on behalf of the people of Telangana. Referring to Mr. Kiran Reddy’s speech in the House on Wednesday, he sought to know whether he spoke as Chief Minister or as legislator of Pileru constituency.
He said Mr. Kiran Reddy gave wrong figures in the House on Wednesday and alleged discrimination against Telangana in the release of funds. A. Maheshwar Reddy (Congress) also faulted the Chief Minister for taking a U-turn after having promised to abide by the decision of the party high command.
Reflecting the vertical split in parties on regional lines, legislators from Seemandhra opposed the Bill and described it as unconstitutional and defective, while those from Telangana supported it terming it ‘historic’.
Members who spoke include TDP leaders Ch. Prabhakar, Anand Babu, K.E. Prabhakar, K.S.N.S. Raju, A. Annapurna; Congress members Bikshamaiah Goud, Suryaprakash, Arepalli Mohan, B. Usha Rani, K. Bharathi, Nageswara Rao, Ramanjaneyulu, M. Vijayprasad; TRS leaders Ch. Ramesh and K. Sammiah; YSRC legislators Amarnath Reddy and Prasanna Kumar Reddy; CPI leader B. Chandravathi and nominated member Christine Lazarus.
Speaking at the media point later, G. Mallesh (CPI) alleged that the CM tried to give “build-up” as if he was sincere protector of Telangana’s interests by masking discrimination of the region in terms of irrigation, employment, education and power.
