Criticised by her ministerial colleagues from the Telangana region for attending a review meeting with new Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan on the law and order situation on Monday, Andhra Pradesh Home Minister P. Sabita Indra Reddy on Tuesday chose to skip the daily review meeting on the subject with Chief Minister K. Rosaiah here.
The Chief Minister had been holding a review meeting on law and order situation on a daily basis in the wake of the ongoing agitation for a separate Telangana State.
Ms. Reddy had been attending the review meetings along with Director General of Police R.R. Girish Kumar, Additional DGP A.K. Khan and State Intelligence chief M. Mahender Reddy.
On Tuesday, however, only the officials attended the review meeting in the Chief Minister’s chamber while the Home Minister stayed away.
Ms. Reddy is among the 13 ministers from the Telangana region who submitted a common resignation letter to the AICC president Sonia Gandhi demanding a clear timeframe for the formation of a separate State.
Though she landed in New Delhi on Sunday night along with nine other ministers to meet the AICC leaders on the Statehood issue, she rushed back to the State capital on Monday to be present at the swearing-in of the new Governor.
Later, she attended the review meeting with the Governor along with the Chief Minister, inviting flak from her Congress colleagues as well as opposition parties.
Meanwhile, sources in the Chief Minister’s Office said Rosaiah directed the police officials to ensure that the ’total bandh’ called by Telangana Joint Action Committee in the region tomorrow passed off peacefully.
The Chief Minister also reportedly discussed the High Court’s order asking the government to re—open the University hostels and allow genuine students to stay in them.
“Please take care to see that only genuine students are boarding in the hostels and no outsider is allowed to take shelter in them”, Rosaiah reportedly told the police officers.
He also reviewed the deployment of police and para—military forces to maintain peace in the region.
