Hyderabad: In a development that could be interpreted as a rebellious act by his adversaries, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has decided to skip the extended meeting of the Congress Working Committee as well as the one-day AICC special session in Delhi on Friday, due to the Assembly Session.
Sources close to the CM said that Reddy informed AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh about his inability to attend both the meetings because he needs to attend the Assembly session which will be debating the bifurcation Bill from Friday.
Rebels from state denied AICC passes
The six rebel Congress MPs from Seemandhra who had earlier issued notice for a no-confidence motion against their own government, have decided to stage protests at the AICC venue in Delhi against the party brass denying them entry and also to protest the state’s bifurcation.
Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy was asked on Thursday to attend the extended CWC meeting.
However, the issue is being seen as a rebellion by Reddy who has been opposing the high command and the Union Cabinet’s decision to divide the state and has been making all out efforts to stall the whole process.
Meanwhile, the AICC authorities have denied entry passes to the six rebel Congress Seemandhra MPs. On Monday this newspaper had carried a report that despite the rebellion by the Seemandhra MPs, the AICC had invited them to attend the special session on Friday. It seems that after the issue was reported in media, AICC reportedly spoke to the PCC president and decided to bar them from the session.
On Thursday, when followers of the rebel MPs — Lagadapati Rajagopal, Rayapati Sambasiva Rao, G.V. Harsha Kumar, A. Sai Pratap, Vundavalli Arun Kumar and Sabbam Hari —went to the AICC office to collect the entry passes, they were told that the MPs were not invited.
Anakapalle MP Sabbam Hari said, “This is most undemocratic. We had moved a no-confidence motion against the UPA government; that was our right as members of the Lok Sabha, no one can question that. But attending the AICC session being members of AICC is our democratic right. It is our duty to raise the bifurcation issue at the party forum.
As per Rule 13 (2)(A) of the party constitution, we need to serve a 15-day notice before the meet to raise any issue, and it is for the AICC meet whether to consider or not. We have already done so, but they have no right to deny us entry; this means there is no democracy in the party.”
Rajagopal said, “We are certainly going to attend the meet tomorrow. If we are allowed, we will raise the issue in the session and if we are not allowed we will protest and organise a sit-out at the AICC meet venue, the Talkatora Stadium.”
