Reddy’s ouster from party, which may force Reddy float up another party, may help create yet another power centre in the fractured polity of Andhra Pradesh. Between K Chandrashekhar Rao’s TDP and Jaganmohan Reddy’s YSR Congress, Reddy’s new party will survive and end up good prospects of Congress in the state.
While Andhra continues to simmer and no business is being transacted in the Parliament due to the issue, Congress seems to be ready to ignore the body blow it may have to take as a result of formation of Telangana. And all this is because its own chief minister dared to go against the party wish.
The humiliation that Andhra Pradesh chief minister Kiran Reddy hurled upon the Congress and specifically to the high command a week ago is expected to bear bitter fruits now. Talks are high that the party will ask Reddy to resign from his post for rejecting the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 2013.
Reddy has always maintained that Andhra Pradesh should be kept united. He resorted to dharnas, protests and had recently said that he wanted to meet President Pranab Mukherjee to stop the bifurcation. The last was passage of a resolution against the Bill in Andhra Pradesh assembly which stated that the Bill “has been sent to the Assembly in utter disregard for linguistic homogeneity and administrative viability”.
If Congress party is thinking that asking Reddy to resign will end their problems, it is seriously in a wrong spot.
Reddy has always maintained that he is “not worried’ about his own future and he may “end” his political career after Telangana furor. But with him gone, other MPs from Seemandhra and Rayalseema will leave Congress’ boat too.
Even though he does not enjoy massive support which will require him to form a government in Andhra on his own again, he is nonetheless in a powerful position. His ouster from party, which may force Reddy float up another party, may help create yet another power centre in the fractured polity of Andhra Pradesh. Between K Chandrashekhar Rao’s TDP and Jaganmohan Reddy’s YSR Congress, Reddy’s new party will survive and end up good prospects of Congress in the state.
Seemandhra has in fact been captured convincingly by Jaganmohan Reddy, who has emerged as the biggest gainer amid the Telangana imbroglio. Of the 175 MLAs of Seemandhra, 156 have given signed affidavits opposing the bifurcation. These easily outnumber the total number of MLAs in the telangana region.
Those who were opposing the proposed creation of Telangana sought stay of tabling of the bill, saying that there was all likelihood that the bill will be tabled in Parliament on February 10 and if it becomes a law, it will become an irreversible process.
Amid the entire din, Congress does not seem to be in a powerful position to push and pass Telangana Bill in the parliament. Even though the Supreme Court has refused to stay tabling of the Bill, Congress is still in a helpless state. And ouster of Reddy will only backfire.
