HYDERABAD: Defying the Congress leadership once again over its decision to carve out a separate Telangana state, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has said the concerns of people of Seemandhra are more important than the party.
As the Union home ministry is drafting a resolution on Telangana for putting it up to the Cabinet before sending it to the Andhra Pradesh assembly, the chief minister said it would be very difficult to go ahead without addressing the concerns of the people. He was referring to the ongoing protests in Seemandhra, that is Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions of the state, against the Congress Working Committee’s July 30 decision to carve out a separate Telangana state.
The chief minister, who is better known by his truncated name Kiran Reddy, told the Rajya Sabha Television in an interview that a problem cannot be solved by creating bigger problems. The Congress party, which enjoys a lot of affection in the state, should be more sensitive to the concerns of the people, he added. Asked if he was on warpath with the Congress, Kiran Reddy, who hails from Rayalaseema, said: “This is not the question of war path. I have to answer concerns of people.” Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday reminded Kiran Reddy that he is the chief minister of the whole state and his responsibility is towards all regions. He was reacting to allegations by Congress leaders from Telangana that Reddy was acting in a partisan way. (PTI)