Sonia names Rosaiah as CLP head

New Delhi, Nov. 28: The Congress on Saturday formally announced the nomination of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K. Rosaiah as the Congress Legislature Party leader.

A statement issued by the senior Congress leader and state in-charge, Mr Veerappa Moily, on Saturday night said the CLP met on Friday in Hyderabad and passed a resolution requesting the party president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, to appoint the CLP leader.

“In accordance with the unanimous resolution of the CLP, the AICC president is pleased to nominate Mr K. Rosaiah as the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party in Andhra Pradesh,” the statement said.

The announcement was made after the party senior leaders, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, and Mr Moily who went as Central observers to the CLP meet in Hyderabad, briefed Mrs Gandhi about the proceedings.

Meanwhile, speculation on whether Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, son of late YSR, would be given a Central ministerial berth continues.

The Congress party high command is yet to make any clear offer or fix a time-frame for induction of Mr Reddy into the Union Cabinet. Highly placed sources in the party said that while Mr Reddy was a young promising leader, no serious talks on offering him a Union ministry has taken place as yet.

”The party has been busy dealing with political issues in Andhra Pradesh — the GHMC polls, conducting the CLP meet and there have been no consultations on whether he should be offered a union ministry,” a senior leader said here.

Mrs Gandhi has reportedly told the Kadapa MP during their previous meetings that the contribution of the late Y.S.
Rajasekhar Reddy can never be forgotten. She has also reportedly said that his interests would be taken care of
by the party.

Leaders in the Jagan camp said that the son of the late CM is yet to choose his future political course. While Mr Reddy has indicated many times that he was more interested in state politics than the Centre, the party has made
it clear that Mr Rosaiah will stay on as Chief Minister.

There is speculation that the post of state PCC chief may be offered to Mr Reddy. But, leaders point out that the unsaid norm of either the CM or the PCC chief hailing from the Telangana region would have to be breached.

“Since Mr Rosaiah is from Andhra, the PCC chief would have to be from Telangana,” a senior leader pointed out.

In such a scenario, the party top brass too is waiting for Mr Reddy to spell out his plans for his political future.