Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy spoke to Seemandhra Union Ministers after six Congress MPs were expelled and asked them to protest the Centre’s move on bifurcation Bill, a senior Minister told The Hindu on Wednesday.
“As a result today Ministers rushed in to the well of the Lok Sabha to stall the proceedings when the interim railway budget was being presented,” the Minister said.
The Union Ministers and the expelled MPs would stall the proceedings on Thursday too to prevent introduction of the Bill.
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The Chief Minister plans to interact with the Seemandhra Union Ministers and expelled MPs on Friday or Saturday to chalk out the course of action.
Authoritative sources said the Chief Minister was determined to resign once the Bill was tabled in Parliament. It is understood that once Governor E. S. L. Narasimhan, who is away in Delhi returns to the city, Mr. Reddy could meet him and submit his papers.
The Chief Minister jocularly remarked that “tomorrow would be the last day”, but was quick to add that it would be the last day for the Assembly session when journalists broached the topic of his resignation.
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The AP Pradesh Congress Committee (APPCC) president Botcha Satyanarayana said it was a historical blunder on the part of the Seemandhra leaders not to have quit en masse in the wake of the Congress Working Committee’s decision to divide the State.
Strategy meetIn a significant development, the Chief Minister was closeted with his close aides, Ministers and MLAs from East Godavari and Kadapa in the camp office till late on Tuesday night to elicit views on launching a new party.
The overwhelming decision was to launch the new party and rope in expelled MPs and attract the disgruntled Congress MLAs.
They see a ray of hope in fighting the next elections under the banner of united AP. With the talk of new party gaining ground, Congress circles were confident that those planning to defect to the TDP and the YSR Congress would put on hold such plans for the time being.