YSR son's call for United Andhra upsets Telangana Cong MPs

New Delhi: Regional differences in Andhra Pradesh Congress burst out in the open on Tuesday when late YSR's son Jaganmohan Reddy joined TDP protesters in Lok Sabha only to face demands for disciplinary action from party MPs from Telangana.

Incensed Congress MPs from Telangana region also demanded action party MP Vijayawada, who has resigned his Lok Sabha, and launched a "fast-unto-death" in his home town on Tuesday.

The fissures in the state party came to the forefront when Reddy, MP from Kadapa in Rayalaseema region and son of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, rushed to the well in the Lok Sabha to join TDP MPs who were protesting against the decision to carve out a separate state of Telangana. He borrowed a placard from a TDP member which said "We want united AP".

Jagan was joined by some of his party colleagues from Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra but his action incensed Congress MPs from Telangana, who immediately met Defence Minister A K Antony and demanded disciplinary action against him for joining the TDP protest.

"We do not like the way Jaganmohan joined hands with the TDP. It is indiscipline. We have conveyed to Antony," Sarvey Satyanarayana, Congress MP from Malkajgiri in Telangana told reporters after the meeting. Another MP Prabhakar echoed similar views.

Satyanarayana demanded action against both Reddy and Rajagopal for defying the party high command which has decided on Telangana.

Manda Jagannatgh, MP from Nagarkurnool, said the decision to create a separate state was taken by the party high command and the action of Jaganmohan and others go against party President Sonia Gandhi.

Ponnam Prabhakar, Convener of the AP Congress MPs, termed the action of the Congress MPs joining hands with TDP as "indiscipline" and called the agitation in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema as "stage managed".

Under attack, Jaganmohan said he stood for a united AP and that he was forced to exhibit his support for a unified AP as he did not want TDP alone to take the credit.

He accused TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu of being the "real culprit" for the current situation in the state. "Had Chandrababu Naidu not said that he would support the resolution for bifurcation of the state the situation would not have risen to this level," he said.

In Hyderabad, non-Telangana Congress MLAs, who have resigned their membership of the Assembly, kept up pressure on the issue when they met Speaker Kiran Kumar Reddy and urged him to accept it. The Speaker, however, did not give an indication of what he plans to do with it.

Meanwhile, Rajagopal began his indefinite hunger strike in Vijayawada in support of a unified Andhra Pradesh while YSR's brother Vivekanand Reddy began a fast in Hyderabad.

"I wanted to undertake the fast in Hyderabad yesterday but I was not allowed to do so, I am launching my fast here," Rajagopal told reporters.

Asserting that the majority of the people do not want division of Andhra Pradesh, he demanded that UPA Government make a statement that the state would not be bifurcated.

"A resolution should be introduced in the Assembly for Telangana. It should have been done yesterday. About 225 of the 294 MLAs are opposed to Telangana. The resolution is will be lost and things would have been clear," the Vijayawada MP said.

Hailing late Chief ministers N T Rama and Y S Rajasekhara Reddy for keeping Telugu-speaking people united, Rajagopal demanded that Naidu and actor-turned politician Chiranjeevi should end their support for Telangana.

Praising the leadership of Rajagopal, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) formed for spearheading the agitation for united Andhra Pradesh announced that they will lay siege to the national highway in Vijayawada on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the 'fast unto death' launched by TDP MLAs D Umamaheshwara Rao and others in Vijayawada in support of united state entered third day. Rao demanded that Lok Sabha members resign from their posts to mount pressure on Centre.

Also, protests and bandhs continued across coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions against the division of the state.

Agitators carried out programmes to hail the sacrifice made by Potti Sriramulu in view of his death anniversary on Tuesday. Sriramulu had laid down his life by holding a fast unto death for the formation of a state for Telugu speaking people.

Rallies, relay hunger strikes and other forms of protests and demonstrations are being held in all districts of the non-Telangana regions opposing bifurcation of state.

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