The Congress high command continued its attempt to discipline its leaders in Andhra Pradesh on the Telangana issue with the party issuing show-cause notice to two Lok Sabha members for “issuing statements in a manner which was found to lower the image of the party.”
Both the MPs – L.Rajagopal of Vijayawada and Madhu Goud Yaskhi from Nizamabad – have been asked to reply within 15 days on why action should not be taken against them as per party disciplinary rules.
Congress media department chairman Janardhan Dwivedi told The Hindu here on Saturday that the notice had been issued following a report in this regard from Union Law Minister and party in-charge of Andhra Pradesh M. Veerappa Moily; and Congress president Sonia Gandhi approved the decision.
ADVERTISEMENT
While Mr. Rajagopal, advocating a united Andhra Pradesh, had earlier sent his resignation to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar directly and had even undertaken a fast protesting against any division of the State, Mr. Yaski had been attacking the Andhra region leaders for opposing the creation of a separate Telangana. The latter was one among the 11 Lok Sabha MPs from Telangana who had submitted their resignation to Ms. Gandhi pressing a separate State.
This is the third show-cause notice issued by the high command. On Friday it gave a notice to AP Information Technology Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy for accusing Chief Minister K. Rosaiah of behaving “like a CM for only Andhra-Rayalaseema regions.”
Asked whether Mr. Venkat Reddy, who is from the Telangana region, had sent his reply to the high command, Mr. Dwivedi, who is in charge of party organisational matters, replied: “not yet.”
ADVERTISEMENT
A senior leader warned the AP leaders from various regions to behave and not to embarrass the leadership by issuing statements and fighting through the media as an all-party meeting had been convened by the Home Ministry to discuss the issue on January 5 in Delhi.