Days after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K. Rosaiah formally moved into the Chief Minister’s Office, the central leadership of the Congress on Thursday indicated that the succession issue in the State was not a closed chapter and would be revisited after the coming Assembly elections.
“We will revisit the Andhra Pradesh issue after the Maharashtra elections,” said a senior Congress leader involved in the decision-making process but remained non-committal to a question on whether there would be a generational change in the State.
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Though the party has all along maintained that it would not decide on a successor to the former Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, in a hurry or under duress, the leadership is further burdened by the need to ensure political stability in the State now when it is battling unprecedented floods.
“Our priority now is to strengthen the hands of the Chief Minister and his government as they battle the floods and the aftermath. We do not want to disturb the existing arrangement at this juncture.”
The Congress leadership’s apprehension is that any move — even a discussion between central leaders about Andhra Pradesh — could prise open the issue.
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Reiterates statement
Union Law Minister and Congress in-charge of Andhra Pradesh M. Veerappa Moily reiterated the party’s oft-repeated line that an appropriate decision would be taken at the appropriate time.
As to when a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) would be convened, he said: “The high command will decide when to convene the CLP. Due consultations and deliberations will take place before convening the CLP.”