Pradesh Congress Committee president Botcha Satyanarayana said here on Monday that only when all the Union and State Ministers and elected representatives from the Seemandhra resigned en masse, there could be hope of the Congress leadership reconsidering its decision to divide the State.
“If the Congress leaders start tendering resignation on individual basis, it may not serve any purpose,” he told reporters at Gandhi Bhavan. The PCC president said Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy had also advised the Congress leaders not to resign in haste.
Mr. Satyanarayana recalled that during their meeting with the Congress core committee members, the Chief Minister and he strongly pitched for a united AP and had offered to abide by the high command’s decision. But, the situation in Seemandhra had changed after the CWC’s decision and they could not remain silent without airing people’s concerns against bifurcation.
Change of guard ruled out
Ruling out change of guard in the government, he said the Chief Minister would be in office till the 2014 elections and found nothing wrong in the observations made by Mr. Reddy. Replying to a question, he said when the Chief Minister’s image goes up it also enhances the prestige of the party too. Admitting that CWC decision was binding on all, he clarified that the Chief Minister had not faulted the announcement.
Mr. Satyanarayana said he suggested that Mr. Reddy convene a broadbased meeting of Seemandhra leaders as the high command was firm on going ahead with the process of division and there was need to allay the fears of the Seemandhra region. However, he said he had no knowledge of the Seemandhra leaders’s move to hold a meeting on October 3.
He reiterated his request to the Antony Committee to visit Andhra Pradesh before the note on bifurcation comes up before the Cabinet meeting. Mr. Satyanarayana is leaving for New Delhi on Tuesday to meet AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh.
