The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Saturday accused the Congress and the Centre of "thoroughly mishandling" the Telengana issue that has led to "tension and conflict" in Andhra Pradesh and demanded immediate start of consultations to restore peace and normalcy.
Venkat got himself admitted to the Apollo Hospital soon after the shooting incident in which his business partner B Prashant Reddy died under mysterious circumstances
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday discussed the Telangana issue and electoral reforms in a meeting of Congress core group in New Delhi.
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.
Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh has said his party will focus on improving its electoral prospects in the southern states and the north-east in the next general elections, as part of the National Demcoratic Alliance's efforts to win more seats and wrest power from the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance coalition.
Seemandhra Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Lagadapati Rajagopal on Tuesday moved Delhi high court seeking its direction to Speaker Meira Kumar to accept his resignation as member of the House, submitted two months ago.
New Andha Pradesh Congress Committee president and state's transport minister Botsa Satyanarayana, whose appointment has created a stir in the party, has said that there was nothing wrong if Andhra Pradesh was divided into two to fulfil the demand of Telangana people for statehood.
Congress leaders from Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh have become hyperactive ahead of the December 9 deadline they have set for the high command even as Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has been called to New Delhi later this week.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday accused the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government of acting in an "irresponsible and childish" manner on the Telangana issue and maintained that delay in formation of the state would harm the interest of both Andhra Pradesh and the Telangana region.
The ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh landed in a tricky situation on Thursday after the candidate it chose to field for the Kadapa Lok Sabha by-election refused to participate in the polls. After a desperate search for an ideal candidate, the Congress decided to field Kandula Rajamohan Reddy against YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy in Kadapa, after the former formally joined the party on Thursday afternoon along with his brother Kandula Sivananda Reddy.
Pressure mounted on the Andhra Pradesh government on Sunday to withdraw central security forces from Osmania University, the hotbed of Telangana agitation. Following the demand by Telangana Congress leaders that the central forces must be withdrawn and the alleged restrictions on the media at the OU be lifted, state Home Minister P Sabita Reddy on Sunday convened a meeting of the Congress leaders, top police officials and the varsity's peace committee.
Repeated disruptions in Lok Sabha by Congress members from Andhra Pradesh over Telangana issue and suspension of eight MPs saw Bharatiya Janata Party and Left parties hitting out at the government for this unprecedented situation while the ruling party justified its stand.
Seven political and administrative reasons were given to convince the Congress leadership while proposing the creation of Rayal-Telangana. Vicky Nanjappa reports
With YSR Congress leader Jaganmohan Reddy in jail for alleged acts of financial frauds, it was his mother Vijayamma who took on the mantle of running the party in his absence.
The political crisis and uncertainty for the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh further deepened on Monday, with 26 members of legislative assembly (of the party) deciding to submit their resignations in support of beleaguered YSR Congress president and member of Parliament YS Jaganmohan Reddy. Mohammed Siddique reportS.
The BJP hit back accusing the Congress of drawing the issue into political arena.
Union minister Manish Tewari on Saturday appealed to the leaders in Andhra Pradesh to "observe forbearance" till the Congress high command was going to come out with a decision on the Telangana issue soon. The statement from Tewari came as state Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana left for New Delhi on Saturday to discuss the Telangana statehood issue with the party high command.
Keeping the Congress on tenterhooks on their strategy during the crucial Foreign Direct Investment vote on Wednesday, eight party MPs from Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday boycotted a meeting called by party floor leaders in Parliament to seek their assurances on participation in the debate.
Pressure is mounting on the ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh to spell out its stand clearly on the contentious Telangana statehood issue ahead of the all-party meeting convened by the Centre on December 28.
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who was summoned to New Delhi by the High Command, made the announcement after his meeting with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and general secretary in-charge of the state Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Ruling Congress and main Opposition Telugu Desam Party are set to crack the whip on "rebel" MLAs, who voted in favour of the no-confidence motion against the Kiran Kumar Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh late Friday night.
Amid fresh violence over Telangana in Andhra Pradesh, Congress on Wednesday appealed for calm and normalcy but refused to say whether any mechanism for its creation will be announced by January 28, a deadline set by those agitating for the separate state.
Ten members of legislative assembly and council, who were with him, were also arrested by the police and sent to Falaknuma police station in the city. This is the second time in the day that Rajagopal has been arrested.
The power struggle in Andhra Pradesh Congress party continuing since the sudden death of Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy is fast heading towards its climax as there are indications that the party's central leadership will invite YSR's son and a claimant of CM's gaddi Jaganmohan Reddy to Delhi to strike out a compromise formula.
Ministers and Congress MLAs from Rayalaseema raised a demand that the new capital of Andhra Pradesh be located in Rayalaseema region, implying Kurnool town.
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).
Although the ongoing padayatra of YSR Congress Party led by Sharmila in the absence of party chief Jaganmohan Reddy has managed to attract huge crowds in Kadapa, the real challenge for her and her party will begin once the padayatra steps out of the home turf, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
In a brazen show of competitive politics, Andhra Pradesh MPs belonging to Congress and Telugu Desam were Wednesday locked in a scuffle in public view at the Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun over ferrying pilgrims back to the state.
In a relief for the ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh, party members of legislative assembly from Telangana region on Monday ended their boycott of the ongoing budget session over the raging Telangana issue. The decision came following a meeting they had with Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and state Congress president D Srinivas in the assembly buildings.
The Congress on Monday said there was "nothing unusual" in the Supreme Court's refusal to stay the Andhra Pradesh high court order quashing 4.5 per cent sub-quota for minorities in central educational institutions. "I have not read the Supreme Court order. It asks the petitioner for more material. There is nothing unusual about it. Nothing much should be read into it," party spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters.
Senior Congress party leaders though continue to be divided on the formation of Telangana state, political expediency finally won the day, reports Anita Katyal
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.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy sought to put up a brave face as he conducted a post-mortem on Friday of the results of the legislative council election from the Assembly quota.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Sunday night appealed to ruling Congress Members of Parliament from Telangana not to undertake their proposed fast on Monday for withdrawal of police cases against students, but the Parliamentarians rejected the request. "If the government withdraws the police cases against students by evening, it is fine. Otherwise, Telangana Congress MPs would go on fast from Monday. It is a Gandhian fast," said K Keshav Rao.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy's efforts to placate the Congress MLAs from Telangana to give up their agitation, as the Centre would make an announcement on the issue in the first week of March, failed to yield any positive result.
Former Chief Minister and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu, who heads four-party Grand Alliance in Andhra Pradesh said with the announcement of election schedule, the countdown has begun for the Congress governments both in New Delhi and Hyderabad.
The fight between Jaganmohan Reddy and Chandrababu Naidu for the political supremacy in Seema-Andhra region has taken an interesting turn.
Congress MP from Andhra Pradesh V Kishore Chandra Deo is tipped to head the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the 2G spectrum scam, according to highly placed sources in the Congress party.
The Congress in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh seems to be heading for a major setback, as at least three of the party members of Parliament have dropped clear indications that they were planning to quit the party and joint the Telangana Rashtra Samiti. Mohammed Siddique reports.
The resignation of Konijeti Rosaiah, 77, as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh was as sudden as his elevation to the post nearly 15 months ago.
