Andhra Pradesh's new chief minister has been in trouble from day one. With several serious challenges facing the state and the Opposition parties vying for power, the Congress will lose out if it does not play its cards right.
A young Congress candidate has created history in the Andhra Pradesh assembly bypolls by securing a previously unheard of majority of 1,92000 votes. P Vishnuvardhan Reddy of Congress, who was fielded from Khairatabad assembly constituency after the death of his father P Janardhan Redddy, a popular leader, won the seat with a massive margin by defeating his nearest rival of Lok Satta Party.
The TDP members in the Upper House refused to leave the chamber even after the House was adjourned for the day.
In the midst of political heat over Congress Member of Parliament Jagan's controversial yatra, two persons from Andhra Pradesh have sought registration of a political party named after his late father and former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.
The Praja Rajyam Party leader made his debut as MLA on Thursday when he got up to deliver a customary speech to congratulate Kiran Kumar Reddy of Congress on his election as the Speaker, but ended up making a memorable and hard-hitting speech ruing the wastage of public money and precious time of the assembly on non-serious issues.
The Grand Alliance of four opposition parties -- Telugu Desam, Telangana Rashtra Samiti, the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India Marxist -- who have decided to make the alleged corruption of the Y S Rajasekhara Reddy-led Congress government the main issue in the coming assembly elections, on Friday demanded that the chief minister be prosecuted under the Prevention of Corruption Act. A delegation of the Grand Alliance leaders met Governor N D Tiwari.
The Congress government in Andhra Pradesh was left red-faced on Saturday when two of its Cabinet ministers were arrested by the police in Mahbubnagar district to avert a showdown between them. Endowments Minister Jupally Krishna Rao and Information and Public Relations Minister D K Aruna were taken into police custody at two separate places and shifted to different police stations as tension mounted in Gadwal constituency in view of the former's paada yatra (foot march).
Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari and senior party leader L K Advani would address NDA's public rally in Hyderabad on Thursday against the Central government, highlighting the issue of corruption.
The Grand Alliance of opposition in Andhra Pradesh, headed by the Telugu Desam chief N Chandrababu Naidu, continues to suffer from teething problems and confusion. In a setback to the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, one of the constituents of the alliance, the TDP president Chandrababu Naidu has made it clear that the GA will not have any common agenda or program.
Opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh on Friday demanded the Centre immediately take a decision "either way" on the contentious Telangana issue and end the uncertainty facing the state. They accused Congress of keeping Andhra Pradesh on the boil and paralyzing normal life for over a year and a half now.
The polling started at 7 am and would continue till 5 pm.
The controversy over the extension of the disputed temple adjacent to historic monument of Charminar was now threatening to snowball in to a major political crisis in Andhra Pradesh. Angered over the alleged pro-Hindutva attitude of the state government and the police, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen has threatened to withdraw the support from the Kiran Kumar Reddy government.
Praja Rajyam party leader and actor Chiranjeevi has taken his fight directly in to the camp of his 'enemy's fort'. He started his "Praja Ankitam Yatra" in Kadapa district from Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's home constituency Pulivendula today amid tight security.
The Andhra Pradesh Legislature descended into chaos today when Telangana Rashtriya Samiti and Telegu Desam Party MLAs hailing from Telangana region virtually manhandled Governor E S L Narasimhan during which the mike and the lectern were uprooted and chairs on the podium pulled down.
In the wake of some Congress members commenting that they would not spare even Congress president Sonia Gandhi if government schemes are not properly implemented, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah on Sunday urged partymen not to violate party discipline. "There is no problem if I am the object of their criticism. If it goes to the extent of saying that we will not spare Sonia Gandhiji and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, it is very sad," he said.
Three people have reportedly died in the explosion.
Congress MLAs and MLCs loyal to former party MP Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday undertook a 'padayatra' from Indira Park in Hyderabad in support of the fast being held by him for the last six days on the tuition fees reimbursement issue.
As the news of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram's proposed press conference in Delhi on Monday came out, political activity in Andhra Pradesh picked up.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Tuesday hoped that the Centre would soon take an appropriate decision on the Telangana issue in the best interests of the state and country.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy on Friday discussed with Congress President Sonia Gandhi the issue of resignation of Buildings Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao, who has been chargesheeted in the disproportionate assets case against Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.
Armed with swords and sickles, about 20 people, allegedly owing allegience to the ruling Telugu Desam Party, went to Peddavaram early on Saturday morning and attacked the Congress workers after dragging them out of their homes, police said.
The new Congress government had provided five per cent reservation in jobs to Muslims.
It has taken three-and-a-half years for the Congress leadership and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to realise that without Andhra Pradesh they would not be in power at the Centre, and will not be able to do the same in 2014 without this southern citadel standing by them.
Andhra Chief Minister K Rosaiah on Friday arrived in Delhi to meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to discuss various issues including the controversial padayatra undertaken by party leader Jaganmohan Reddy, expansion of the state cabinet and the selection of candidates for the by-elections in the Telangana region. He is also expected to raise the issue of Praja Rajyam leader Chiranjeevi's increasing proximity to the Congress.
Andhra Pradesh minister V Vasant Kumar, who sent his resignation to Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy allegedly dissatisfied over the tourism portfolio allocated to him, may take back his resignation.
A late night telephone call from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to Praja Rajyam Party president K Chiranjeevi has led to wide-spread speculation that his party legislators might be inducted into the Congress ministry to checkmate rebel Member of Parliament Y S Jaganmohan Reddy. The call from the chief minister, who is currently camping in New Delhi, to the PRP president indicated that the high command was in no mood to be accommodative.
Telugu Desam Party president and leader of opposition in Andhra Pradesh assembly N Chandrababu Naidu and state Communist Party of India secretary K Narayana were taken into preventive custody on Monday along with several leaders of their parties and farmers organisations when they tried to march towards the secretariat to meet Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on the farmers issue.
The Congress top brass late Thursday night assured its agitating legislators of Andhra Pradesh that "no whip" will be issued to vote in favour of a separate statehood resolution, if and when it comes in the Assembly.
Normal life was partially affected in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal on Friday. An opposition-sponsored state-wide bandh was called in Andhra Pradesh to protest against fuel price hike while West Bengal was in the grip of a bandh for the second consecutive day after the opposition Trinamool Congress and its ally the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) enforced the shut down to protest the fuel price hike.
The Telugu Desam Party and other opposition parties have gone for the jugular as the ministers in the dock were all key portfolio holders under YS Rajashekhar Reddy regime. Mohammed Siddique reports.
With an aggressive Opposition and unyielding government, important legislation could be the biggest casualty, as details of the helicopter contract surface.
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