No directions to move Telangana resolution: AP CM

Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad on Friday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Ken Rosaiah said that he will abide by the decisions and directions of high command on the issue of Telangana but so far he had not received any instruction on when to move a resolution in the state assembly.  "I spoke to P Chidambaram many times on Thursday and he told me we will ask you at an appropriate time to move the resolution", he said.

Urging the people, specially the legislators and other political leaders to maintain peace, Rosaiah said that there was no cause for panic or getting provoked as Telangana state was not going to be formed overnight. He said that late chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy had announced the formation of a committee in February under his (Rosaiah's chairmanship) to go in to all the aspects of Telangana's statehood. "Now this committee will have to be reconstituted as I have become the chief minister and committee will have a new chairman. It will start its work soon", he said.

So far 128 of the 174 MLAs from Andhra and Rayalseema regions have tendered their resignations to the Speaker N Kiran Kumar Reddy. While the opponents of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh are trying to get all the legislators from these two regions to resign, the chief minister hoped that this problem will be sorted out through discussion. "The speaker has not accepted the resignations and the problem will be sorted out, Rosaiah told the reporters when asked about the fate of his government because of resignations.

Those who tendered the resignations include 76 MLAs from the Congress, 38 from the Telugu Desam Party and 14 from the Praja Rajyam Party. When asked whether the Congress government in the state was reduced to a minority, he said, "If the speaker accepts the resignations of Congress legislators then it will become a minority government. But if he accepts all the resignations, it will be a majority government."

He said the central government was fully aware of the situation in the state and they were also making their own efforts to solve the problems. Rosaiah also took note of the fact that after Telangana, demands for nine more states have come to fore in different parts of the country.