CM to visit Delhi on Saturday

V Ramu Sarma

Hyderabad: Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy who will be going to New Delhi on Saturday to attend the meeting of chief ministers and chief justices also has a big political agenda to be discussed with the party high command. According to party insiders, the issue of change in the PCC leadership, the damage caused to the party on account of power tariff hike, the agitations taken up by the opposition parties, the growing dissension in the party, the recent desertion of nine MLAs from Congress to YSR Congress party, reports that more may switch over , the possibility of some Congress MPs joining TRS, the names of five MLCs under Governors quota are some of the issues that are likely to figure during the discussions the chief minister will have with party high command.

Party senior leaders say that the high command is likely to take a decision soon on the question of changing the PCC president as the differences between the PCC president and the Chief Minister have been increasing. The party high command wants to take measures to strengthen the state unit well ahead of the general elections. They say it was of the view that the regional imbalance that is there in power sharing needs to be rectified

What is causing worry for the party is that by the time the Congress leadership heaves a sigh of relief that it has been able to overcome one problem in the party, group politics in other areas are pushing it into greater problems.

The state unit appears to have finally succeeded in having a truce with the former minister Dr P Shankar Rao. Rao who came to Congress Legislature party on Wednesday came to the defence of the Chief Minister in regard to the power crisis. But the bickering in Nalgonda and Kadapa units is causing fresh problem for the party.

While MLA Veerashiva Reddy lashed at ministers D L Ravindra Reddy and C Ramachandraiah for criticising the chief minister on power tariff hike, two groups in Kadapa district opened fire against each other on Wednesday.