The Hindu : Front Page : Congressmen asked to exercise restraint

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Friday, Sep 16, 2005

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Congressmen asked to exercise restraint

K.V. Prasad

AICC leadership's viewpoint on Telangana controversy conveyed to Chief Minister

NEW DELHI: The Congress party has asked its Andhra Pradesh State unit leaders to exercise restraint and not join issue with the Telangana Rashtra Samiti leaders in the wake of the ongoing war of words between the two.

Party sources said the central leadership's viewpoint was conveyed to the State Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, amid demands by the State Congress leaders of resignation of TRS representatives following the controversial remarks of Union Minister A. Narendra on the Telangana issue.

The Andhra Pradesh Information and Power Minister, Shabbir Ali, was among the State leaders who demanded that Mr. Narendra should be asked to quit the Union Cabinet after his purported remarks on use of force in the TRS quest for separate Telangana.

Emotive issue

The central leadership is aware that separate Telangana is an emotive issue and that the TRS has been taking up an aggressive posture on it.

The party has preferred not to comment on the creation of the Telangana Jagarana Sena, a lathi-wielding force, whose first meeting was attended by Mr. Narendra and other senior leaders with the Union Labour Minister, K. Chandrasekhara Rao, inaugurating it.

Party sources said the AICC general secretary, Divgijay Singh, has also had a word with Mr. Rao after Mr. Narendra's statement.

It is understood that the two leaders agreed to meet when Mr. Rao returned to the Capital.

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