Countdown begins for Kiran - TeluguPeople.com News

New Delhi: The countdown for Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy seems to have begun with the Congress high command taking a serious view of his letter to the President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, questioning the wisdom of the Centre in deciding to divide the State to form Telangana.

The party's core committee, at its meeting is learnt to have felt that Kiran had clearly overstepped the liberty given to him by the high command. Party president Sonia Gandhi reportedly expressed the view that the Chief Minister's letter was a sort of 'threat' to the Centre and an open defiance of the Congress Working Committee resolution on Telangana.

What had embarrassed and irritated Sonia most was the fact that Kiran addressed a letter directly to the President, rather than to the party, casting serious aspersions on the Centre in taking the Telangana process forward.

The Chief Minister demanded that the Centre follow established practices and constitutional procedures. Obviously, he meant that the bifurcation cannot be implemented without a resolution first from the State Assembly, whereas the Centre has been repeatedly underlining that an Assembly resolution is not binding on the Centre as per Constitutional norms.

The content, tone and tenor of the letter are being seen as a serious embarrassment to Sonia who had initiated the CWC resolution on Telangana.

'She is not bothered much if any party leader does not agree with her decision. But, she does not tolerate if anybody causes embarrassment to her by openly questioning her decision,' said a senior Union Minister.

Adding to the embarrassment, the President's Secretariat has forwarded Kiran's letter to Home Secretary Anil Goswami on Saturday asking him to look into the issues raised by the Chief Minister.

Sources said that Pranab is likely to have a one-on-one meeting with the Chief Minister on November 4 when he goes to Hyderabad to participate in an official function.

Sources said that some of the members of the Congress core committee suggested to Sonia to immediately sack Kiran and impose President's Rule in the State.

'Madam has given him a long rope, but he has misused the opportunity given to him. However, Sonia did not respond to the suggestion immediately as she seems to be of view that the party should not give him a chance to become a martyr for Samaikyandhra,' the party leader said.

Apparently, Sonia is waiting for an opportune moment to sack Kiran. 'In any case, the countdown for Kiran has begun and it is only a matter of time that he is shown the exit door,' sources said.