The Pradesh Congress Committee president Botcha Satyanarayana has ruled out the chances of Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy launching a new political party.
“I don’t think he will launch a new party,” he said at an informal chat with reporters in Gandhi Bhavan on Tuesday. The PCC chief did issue a stern warning to party leaders looking at greener pastures that they would face disciplinary action.
“We are compiling a list of leaders who are planning defect and are criticising the party decision on bifurcation,” he said. The PCC chief said that the high command has given him the go ahead to revamp the District Congress Committees.
“We will not act against those leaders expressing the anguish of their electorate but desisting from criticising the party’s decision,” he said. Asked whether the Chief Minister warranted such action, the PCC chief clarified that the former was only airing the concerns of people of Seemandhra in the event of division.
Mr. Satyanarayana said that Congress MLAs were free to air their respective regions’ aspirations during the special session of the Assembly shortly. “We will not impose any restrictions as such on these legislators. They can express their opinions without any hindrance ,” he said.
Asked for his reaction to the three-year rule of Mr. Reddy, the PCC chief said it was good. However, he did not lose an opportunity to take an indirect dig at the Vhief Minister when he said that some top leaders had opposed the special package for Telangana offered by the Congress high command. The same leaders were today seeking a package for the region, he pointed out.
