Political storm in Congress over Telangana intensifies

HYDERABAD: The political storm in ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh over Telangana issue intensified on Wednesday with some ministers demanding apology from AICC Secretary and MP Madhu Yashki Goud for his outburst against the Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.
    
Two ministers from Telangana region -- Mohammed Ali Shabbir and T Jeevan Reddy -- sharply attacked Goud who had on Tuesday accused the Chief Minister of scuttling the creation of a separate Telangana state.
    
They demanded that the MP from Nizamabad withdraw his remarks and apologize.
    
The fresh bout of war of words was triggered by the Chief Minister's interview to a Telugu daily in which he ruled out formation of Telangana before 2009 elections.
    
Though Reddy clarified that the newspaper had distorted his observations, the storm refused to die down with pro-Telangana Congress leaders targeting him for his 'anti- Telangana' attitude.
    
Springing to the Chief Minister's defence, Shabbir and Jeevan Reddy said Goud was making controversial statements despite the Congress high command asking the party leaders not to air their views in public.
    
The first-time MP, an NRI who joined politics before the 2004 elections, lacked the stature to criticise the Chief Minister and he should know his limits, they said.
    
Goud, however, refused to apologize saying he did not make any personal attack on Rajasekhara Reddy but was only reflecting the sentiments of the Telangana people.