The Hindu : Front Page : CLP authorises Sonia to name leader

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CLP authorises Sonia to name leader

Special Correspondent

Formality of electing Rosaiah as its leader not carried out

— PHOTO: Satish. H

TRIBUTES: Central leaders Pranab Mukherjee and M. Veerappa Moily and Chief Minister K. Rosaiah at the CLP meeting where they condoled the death of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in Hyderabad on Friday.

HYDERABAD: The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) unanimously adopted a resolution on Friday authorising AICC president Sonia Gandhi to "select" its leader.

These developments came as an anti-climax since party leaders expected the CLP to merely discharge the formality of electing Chief Minister K. Rosaiah as its leader. But events took a slightly different turn when Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, MP, and an aspirant for the Chief Minister’s post, was asked by Central leaders to move a resolution requesting Ms. Gandhi to name the leader.

Accordingly, Mr. Jagan proposed the resolution at the CLP meeting which was attended by two Central observers – CWC member Pranab Mukherjee and AICC general secretary M. Veerappa Moily. Emerging from the meeting, Mr. Mukherjee flanked by Mr. Rosaiah, Mr. Jagan and the APCC president D. Srinivas, announced to the waiting media on the Assembly premises that the resolution was supported by 150 MLAs, 49 MLCs and 29 MPs of the party by raising their hands.

Mr. Mukherjee said he would brief the Congress president about the proceedings and she would declare the name. It is understood that the CWC leader later spoke to Ms. Gandhi on telephone. The CLP meeting, the first after YSR’s death, adopted a resolution condoling the ‘untimely and sad demise’ of former Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy and appreciating his contribution to building the State. A separate resolution was passed expressing heartfelt condolences to the families of the two pilots, his Chief Security Officer and Principal Secretary, who were killed in the helicopter crash along with YSR on September 2.

A third resolution was adopted mourning the death of tens of people in the unprecedented floods in the Krishna in October this year.

Apart from the Chief Minister, the APCC chief and K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao, MP, several leaders including former Chief Minister N. Janardhana Reddy, Council Chairman A. Chakrapani and Deputy Speaker Nadendla Manohar, earlier called on the Central leaders at a city hotel where they were staying. Mr. Jagan also met the leaders ahead of the CLP meeting.

Earlier, several pro-Jagan legislators made a beeline to his residence in Begumpet as he had just then arrived from Bangalore, but by then, he had left to meet the Central leaders.

As things became clear that there would be no scope for proposing his name, even die-hard supporters like Konda Surekha chose to keep a low profile.

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