K Rosaiah to convene all party meeting on Babhli issue tomorrow

Accepting the request made by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Praja Rajyam Party, Andhra Pradesh chief minister K Rosaiah has convened a meeting with leaders of nine political parties to discuss the state's stand on the controversial Babhli irrigation project.

Major irrigation minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah wrote letters to leaders of these parties today inviting them for the meeting with the chief minister at 11.30am tomorrow.

"This is a preliminary meeting on the Babhli issue ahead of the all-party meeting with prime minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi at 5.30pm on July 26," Ponnala said in the letter.

Earlier in the day, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu and Praja Rajyam Party president K Chiranjeevi wrote separate letters to the chief minister urging him to convene an all-party meeting on the Babhli issue.

"We received the draft note on Babhli for ventilating our views. We request you to convene a meeting with all political parties to place our suggestions before the state government," Naidu said.

Chiranjeevi also suggested that Rosaiah try to evolve a consensus among political parties in the state on the Babhli issue ahead of the meeting with the prime minister.

"It will be better if we go to the prime minister with the common resolve that only a political solution will end the Babhli row. I request you to convene an all-party meeting before July 25 to discuss the issue," Chiranjeevi requested in a separate letter to the chief minister today.

He wanted the chief minister to include two representatives from each political party in the delegation to meet the prime minister.