WORLD OF CRISIS

Jan 30, 2014

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy Interview

Telangana: Congress should respect assembly's sentiments on Telangana Bill, says Kiran Kumar Reddy


The Central government is behaving like the representative only of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy said on Thursday after the state legislature rejected the AP Reorganisation Bill 2013.

"It was an unopposed resolution rejecting the Bill," Reddy told Headlines Today in an exclusive interview.

Attacking the Congress leadership for trying to carve out a separate state from Andhra Pradesh, he said: "The party should respect sentiments of people and the assembly".

"We are in a democracy, not in a dictatorship. Once you are calling Congress an inclusive party, you should respect the views," Reddy, a Congress legislator, said. "Let the people of AP take a decision on the way forward in the elections."

He said he would take the demand to keep Andhra united to Delhi.

"We will take the fight to Delhi. The President has to take cognisance of the sentiments of the people. I'm confident it (the Bill) will not go to Parliament," he said.

Reddy made news on Wednesday after he threatened to quit politics if the Telangana Bill was tabled in parliament.

"I have put the future of AP ahead of my career," he said.

"Power sharing, water sharing and medical facilities are big problems. Unfortunately central govt is behaving like the representatives only of Telangana. They have not studied the issue in detail. The Bill is full of mistakes."

Reddy admitted that his relationship with the party's High Command was strained. "They would not like what I'm doing. I have been told that they do not like what I am doing," he said.

He said the rejection of the Bill in the AP legislature should be taken note of by the central government.

"If feelings of the House do not have place in democracy, then god only can save our democracy," he said.

"I'm the 16th CM of AP. I hope there will even be a 17th, 18th and 21st CM of united AP," Reddy said.

source: indiatoday.intoday.in

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