Venkataswamy faces CMs ire

Hyderabad, Feb. 2: The Chief Minister, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, on Wednesday condemned the senior Congress leader, Mr G. Venkataswamys comment that the party was losing heavily under the leadership of Mrs Sonia Gandhi.Speaking to mediapersons here, the Chief Minister said he was deeply pained over the remarks made by such a senior party leader.One should not forget that the party regained the lost glory after Mrs Gandhi took over, he said. We came back to power and also won several states under her leadership. The Chief Minister also ridiculed the Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidus criticism of Mrs Gandhi. A person who cheated his father-in-law for the Chief Ministers post has no moral right to talk about a person who sacrificed the Prime Ministers post not once but twice, he said.The Chief Minister found nothing wrong in the Union minister, Mr A.K. Antony, meeting the Praja Rajyam chief, Mr K. Chiranjeevi. After all we are not enemies, he said. When asked whether the Praja Rajyam would join the Cabinet, the Chief Minister said the state government would follow the instructions of the party central leadership in the matter. He dismissed the contention that Congress knocked at the Praja Rajyams doors as its government in AP had fallen into a minority.Meanwhile, the Rajahmundry Congress MP, Mr Undavalli Arunkumar, said that it was the former chief minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, who first mooted the idea of an alliance with the Praja Rajyam in a letter to the party president immediately after the election results were declared in May 2009. Mr Arunkumars revelation is meant to blunt the criticism of the Congress-Praja Rajyam alliance by the former Kadapa MP and YSRs son, Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.In a media conference held in Delhi, Mr Arunkumar distributed copies of the letter written by YSR on May 18, 2009, to Mrs Gandhi stressing the need for an alliance with the Praja Rajyam. YSR had pointed out that the Praja Rajyam which has secured 15.75 per cent of v! ote shar e and 18 seats in the Assembly would be a better political partner for the Congress in the 2014 polls. The former Chief Minister had also mooted a proposal to induct Mr Chiranjeevi into the Union Cabinet to strengthen the ties, said the MP. Only me and Dr K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao knew about this letter penned by YSR, said Mr Undavalli. The tie up will strengthen the Congress and will help it come back in the 2014 polls.He also condemned those who were criticising Dr K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao. KVP is being held responsible for all bad things and YSR is being praised for all good things, he said. KVP used to bear the burden of YSRs problems.

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