Virtually reduced to a persona non grata in the Congress, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has renewed his efforts to launch a new political party.
Sources in the CM camp said Kiran Kumar had delayed the idea of floating a new party till now in the hope that he would be able to stall the Congress high command from going ahead on the Telangana process. However, his vehement pro-Seemandhra talk with a tinge of anti-Congress rhetoric has been viewed as a rebellion and violation of the ‘Laxman Rekha’ of party discipline because of which he has become a person non grata with 10, Janpath and 24, Akbar Road, the party headquarters.
No senior AICC leader was willing to take his telephone calls when he was in Delhi last week and neither party chief Sonia Gandhi nor AICC general secretary Digivijay Singh gave him appointment. Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde met him reportedly to discuss the matter of extension of the term of DGP V Dinesh Reddy. His calls to Digvijay after his return to Hyderabad were not returned, said the sources.
“The isolation of Kiran Kumar Reddy in the Congress is complete,” said cabinet minister and a Kiran aide. According to the minister, Kiran has revived the idea of forming a new party and is waiting for an opportunity to make apparent his intention. He is being projected as the “Samaikyandhra Simham”. According to sources, Kiran is now more enthusiastic to float a new party because the situation is more advantageous for such a proposal.
“At first, Kiran was worried about the YS Jaganmohan Reddy wave. But, Jagan’s image has been tarnished because of his alleged alliance with the Congress to get the bail. Now, YSR Congress is busy disproving the allegation. On the other side, the Telugu Desam Party is hamstrung in Seemandhra because of its pro-Telangana letter. So, Kiran thinks he is the only true and unalloyed champion of the Seemandhra cause.
And he believes the people will receive him,” a close aide of Kiran told INN. To promote his “leader” image, according to sources, he is demolishing the Congress and building an image of being the lone champion of the united state cause that could draw the people’s attention. However, the first opportunity meant for the purpose has been lost. In fact, Kiran wanted to use the programme slated for Monday in Vizag to push further his agenda.
Organized by MP Ganta Srinivasa Rao, the event was inauguration of a flyover in the city near the railway station built at a cost of Rs 100 crore. Kiran had planned to use the occasion to announce that he was no longer part of the Congress. But the event was suddenly cancelled. “The publicity material for the Vizag event was not to have any Congress mark. They were to display Kiran as “Samaikyandhra Simham,” the sources said. But Ganta suddenly cancelled the programme and the printing of the posters was stopped on Saturday morning.
The reason is, according to Congress circles, Ganta got wind of the CM’s design to announce the floating of a new party at the event and cancelled it. Some said the minister was advised by the Congress leadership to call off the event as it would give Kiran a forum to attack the Congress leadership. When contacted, Ganta told INN: “The cancellation had nothing to do with politics. It was cancelled because of the unrest in the region,” he said.
Meanwhile, several ministers in the Kiran cabinet are keen to inform the high command of their loyalty to Congress and disassociating with Kiran’s anti-party remarks. At least 11 Seemandhra ministers are waiting for the clearance of the party leadership to dissociate themselves with the CM, a minister confided to INN.
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