The Hindu : Front Page : Venkatswamy, MSR bury the hatchet

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 30, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Venkatswamy, MSR bury the hatchet

Both Telangana Congress leaders heap praise on YSR government

Photo: Satish. H

Camaraderie: Congress leaders (from left) M. Satyanarayana Rao, G. Venkatswamy, PCC president D. Srinivas, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and Union Minister T. Subbarami Reddy at a PCC meeting in Hyderabad on Saturday.

HYDERABAD: In what is seen as a relief to Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy and the newly-appointed Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president D. Srinivas, senior Telangana leaders G. Venkatswamy and M. Satyanarayana Rao announced withdrawal from their proposed activities.

At a meeting of the Ministers, legislators, PCC office-bearers, DCC presidents and chiefs of frontal organisations convened by the APCC here on Saturday, the two senior leaders, who had upped the ante over the issue of separate Telangana, took the gathering by surprise when they praised the Chief Minister and the ‘far reaching’ developmental and welfare programmes undertaken in the last four years.

As the party gears up for byelections to 16 seats vacated by the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), Mr. Venkatswamy and Mr. Rao laid emphasis on unity and coordinated efforts by partymen and their support to Dr. Reddy.

Their stand is expected to impact the political equations within the Congress in the coming days.

Almost putting the lid on their activities, Mr. Satyanarayana Rao said there would be no more meetings. “We are completely putting an end to our activities,” Mr. Rao, who repeatedly claimed that Dr. Reddy was a stumbling block in the creation of separate Telangana, reportedly remarked at the meeting. He clarified that he had never criticised the Government programmes in the last four years.

Taking the cue, Mr. Venkatswamy, who led the seniors’ delegation to AICC president Sonia Gandhi echoed similar sentiments. The CWC member pointed out that whenever he toured his constituency, he hailed the developmental programmes initiated by the Rajasekhara Reddy Government.

Party sources said Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy lavished praises on Mr. Venkatswamy, Mr. Satyanarayana Rao and Telangana Regional Development Board chairman V. Purushotham Reddy and expressed the hope that they would continue to extend their unstinted cooperation to the party.

Cadres determined

Mr. Srinivas exuded confidence that the party would fare well in the next elections as well as the bypolls as the leaders and cadres were determined to keep away the opposition parties from coming to power.

The Chief Minister announced five-month programmes for the party cadres. He said anti-incumbency factor was not visible and added that the TDP had failed as a responsible opposition. “We will expose their performance as an Opposition during the no confidence motion in the Assembly,” he was quoted as saying.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page