AP CM.Kiran to hold strategy meet today on launch of new party

Hints at launching new party only after holding more consultations

Amid talk of dwindling support and close aides looking at other political parties for their future, former Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy is holding a crucial closed door meeting with expelled Congress MPs in the here on Sunday to discuss about launch of the new party.

Initially it was billed as a crucial meeting where Mr. Reddy was expected to announce his future political plans and chalk out future course of action. But, now he has restricted the meeting to the expelled MPs and those who have resigned from the party. A few former Ministers considered close to him are said to be invited to attend the meeting at a private building in Madhapur.

Sources said no significant announcement is expected from Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy as he hinted that more consultations were needed before any formally announcement about the launch of the new political party is made. “Mr. Reddy will take the views of his supporters more particularly, the MPs, who have been backing him all through his struggle against bifurcation of the State,” a close aide told The Hindu on Saturday.

Numbers

His meeting assumes significance for the fact that it would give a clear indication on number of former Ministers, MPs and legislators sailing with him.

Though, his camp has been claiming that over a dozen Ministers and as many as 50 MLAs would join his new party, situation appears to be the other way round.

Former Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao, who has been sailing with him, has dropped hints that he would join the TDP along with at least five Congress MLAs.

So is the case with former Ministers –Erasu Pratap Reddy, T.G.Venkatesh and K. Parthasarathy who have quit the Congress but are not coming out openly whether they would join hand with Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy. A number of MLAs, who were seen with him on the day of the resignation have not come back again. Against this background, it is understood that he may not make any announcement about the new party. As of now former Minister Pithani Satyanarayana has come out openly in his support and said he would join the new party.

Diwakar to resign

Former Minister J.C. Diwakar Reddy, while launching a scathing attack on AICC president Sonia Gandhi for dividing the State against the wishes of Seemandhra people, said he would resign from the party immediately. He was non-committal whether he would join Mr. Reddy’s party.

INDIA can take difficult decisions, Sushma praises Sonia

NEW DELHI: The passage of Telangana bill indicated that this country can take "difficult" decisions, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in the Lok Sabha on Friday. 

In his concluding remarks on the last day of the 15th Lok Sabha, he said the manner in which the Telangana Bill was passed was another example that the country was capable of taking difficult decisions. 

Unlike the disruptions and the slogan shouting, the House witnessed bonhomie and camaraderie on the last day with P .. 

No harsh words against Seemandhra people: Sonia Gandhi

New Delhi:  Congress President Sonia Gandhi today told leaders from Telangana to reach out to people of Seemandhra and not to use harsh words against them.

Mrs Gandhi conveyed this to a delegation of union ministers, MPs and state ministers from Telangana which met her to express gratitude over parliament's approval to formation of a separate state.

Those who met Mrs Gandhi included union ministers Sarve Satyanarayana and Balram Naik, a dozen MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha including Ponnam Prabhakar and Madhu Yakshi Goud and state ministers from Telangana region.

Members of Telangana Joint Action Committee, chaired by M Kodandaram, also met Mrs Gandhi.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Madhu Yakshi Goud said Mrs Gandhi told them that when Congress has done justice to the people of Telangana, party leaders from the region should ensure that no injustice is done to the people from Seemandhra region.

"She also asked us to reach out to people from Seemandhra and ensure that we do not use any harsh words against them as people from both regions have been living together for a long time," he said.

Replying to queries about possibilities of merger of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) with the Congress, Mr Satyanarayana said "we are expecting TRS to join us."

"K Chandrasekhar Rao (TRS Chief) has been saying that he would work with Congress President Sonia Gandhi if Telangana is created. Now the Bill has come and there is no reason for him to continue as a separate entity," he said.

Former AICC Secretary P Sudhakar Reddy, who was also part of the delegation, said "we conveyed our thanks to the Congress President."

"It was a dream for decades and now Telangana has become a reality. We have seen it as natural justice to Telangana. The Congress President has told us to maintain cordial relations with people from Seemandhra region," Mr Reddy said.

Telangana is all set to become 29th state of India with parliament yesterday approving the bill to carve it out of Andhra Pradesh.