The Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, is so displeased with Jagan Mohan Reddy’s insistence on continuing with his Odarpu Yatra that she told the leader of another party who had called on her that she did not like the defiance of the party diktat being shown by the Kadapa MP.
Despite this, the Kadapa MP is firm on hitting the road on June 14 even if he doesn’t get the go-ahead from the party leadership for the Odarpu yatra. He had put off the yatra that was scheduled to resume on June 8.
Mrs Gandhi told the visiting MP that she did not like Jagan’s defiance of the party leaders. She reportedly spoke about a letter written to her by Jagan’s MLA mother, Ms Vijayalakshmi, seeking an audience with her.
Though the contents of the letter are not known, Mrs Gandhi apparently told the MP that the tone of the letter was not acceptable as it clubbed political issues and family sentiments. That, according to the Congress president, was not acceptable.
According to sources close to the MP who called on Mrs Gandhi, the Congress high command is in no mood to allow Mr Reddy to resume his Odarpu Yatra.
“We have asked him to support the state leadership and behave in a manner acceptable to party, but his adamant attitude and gestures have shown that he is not prepared to support the leadership. In such a situation how can we support his yatra?” Mrs Gandhi reportedly said.
The party high command is not going to consider any of Jagan’s pretexts or explanations till the time he apologises to the party, without insisting on being allowed to take up the yatra, said sources.
Mr Jagan, who was in Anantapur on Sunday morning to attend a marriage function refused to answer any questions from the media regarding the yatra. He only repeatedly asked: “Who told you the Odarpu Yatra will not continue?”
Showing posts with label Congress President. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Congress President. Show all posts
Monday, June 7, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Chiru seals Congress RS election pact
Keeping the promise made to the Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, the Praja Rajyam on Tuesday unanimously decided to extend unconditional support to the ruling party in the ensuing Rajya Sabha elections.
The Praja Rajyam chief, Mr Chiranjeevi, also decided to write to Mrs Gandhi formally announcing his party’s support for Congress candidates. He had met her the other day in Delhi. The unanimous decision by the party offers much relief to the Congress and also heralds a new political realignment in the state.
In one deft move, Mrs Gandhi has ensured support of 18 MLAs for her party and has also checkmated Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who may get the backing of some MLAs in case he decides to re-start his Odarpu Yatra again.
Praja Rajyam sources said that majority of party leaders were happy at the outcome of Mr Chiranjeevi’s meeting with Mrs Gandhi and the subsequent decision to support the Congress.
The party chief briefed the political affairs committee on the discussions that took place in the meeting with Mrs Gandhi in New Delhi recently and about her request to the PR to support Congress nominees.
The Praja Rajyam chief, Mr Chiranjeevi, also decided to write to Mrs Gandhi formally announcing his party’s support for Congress candidates. He had met her the other day in Delhi. The unanimous decision by the party offers much relief to the Congress and also heralds a new political realignment in the state.
In one deft move, Mrs Gandhi has ensured support of 18 MLAs for her party and has also checkmated Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who may get the backing of some MLAs in case he decides to re-start his Odarpu Yatra again.
Praja Rajyam sources said that majority of party leaders were happy at the outcome of Mr Chiranjeevi’s meeting with Mrs Gandhi and the subsequent decision to support the Congress.
The party chief briefed the political affairs committee on the discussions that took place in the meeting with Mrs Gandhi in New Delhi recently and about her request to the PR to support Congress nominees.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Sonia to Jairam: Apologise
The minister of state for environment and forests, Mr Jairam Ramesh, who arrived from Beijing on Monday, has been asked by the Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, to apologise to the home minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, for his remarks while on Chinese soil that the home ministry’s policies on Chinese investment in this country were “paranoid” and “alarmist”.
The minister also got a sharp rebuke from the PM, Dr Manmohan Singh, who told him that he had no business commenting in public on the work of other ministries.
Sources in the Prime Minister’s Office said Dr Singh, who spoke to Mr Ramesh shortly after the latter’s return that it was “not advisable” for ministerial colleagues to “comment on the functioning of other departments, specially with regard to the relationship with important neighbours like China.”
The Prime Minister also told Mr Ramesh that “there is no confusion” about India’s policy towards China, and that “we continue to strive for constructive engagement with Beijing”. Mr Ramesh later also gave an explanation for his remarks to Mrs Gandhi.
Mr Ramesh’s utterances have proved acutely embarrassing for the government as they exposed the clear differences and squabbling within the council of ministers. They also do the Congress no good, given that it is still trying to recover from the senior leader, Mr Digvijay Singh, recently accusing the home minister of “intellectual arrogance”.
With the home minister also shooting off a missive to Dr Singh about Mr Ramesh’s remarks, the minister of state clearly had a lot of explaining to do.
The minister also got a sharp rebuke from the PM, Dr Manmohan Singh, who told him that he had no business commenting in public on the work of other ministries.
Sources in the Prime Minister’s Office said Dr Singh, who spoke to Mr Ramesh shortly after the latter’s return that it was “not advisable” for ministerial colleagues to “comment on the functioning of other departments, specially with regard to the relationship with important neighbours like China.”
The Prime Minister also told Mr Ramesh that “there is no confusion” about India’s policy towards China, and that “we continue to strive for constructive engagement with Beijing”. Mr Ramesh later also gave an explanation for his remarks to Mrs Gandhi.
Mr Ramesh’s utterances have proved acutely embarrassing for the government as they exposed the clear differences and squabbling within the council of ministers. They also do the Congress no good, given that it is still trying to recover from the senior leader, Mr Digvijay Singh, recently accusing the home minister of “intellectual arrogance”.
With the home minister also shooting off a missive to Dr Singh about Mr Ramesh’s remarks, the minister of state clearly had a lot of explaining to do.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
RS selection in ‘outsider’ row
he Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, is yet to decide on whether or not to field more ‘outsiders’ in the Rajya Sabha elections from the state.
Six seats from the state are going to be vacated by June this year and biennial poll schedule will be announced next month. Out of the six vacancies, five are from the Congress. But the ruling party may only be able to send four this time, and that too with the support of Majlis and Praja Rajyam. And two seats will go to Telugu Desam kitty.
The five retiring members, including one ‘outsider,’ the Union minister, Mr Jairam Ramesh, and other leaders from the Congress, are eagerly waiting for the decision of the Congress president in this regard.
Meanwhile, there is talk in Delhi that Mr Rahul Gandhi is not keen on ‘outsiders’ being sent to Rajya Sabha from various states. He feels that the RS should really represent the states.
When contacted, Mr Ramesh said that he did not know any thing about his re-nomination. “It is all left to the Congress president, I will abide whatever she decides,” he said.
The Union minister for law, Mr Veerappa Moily, who is in charge of party affairs in AP, also said that no guidelines had been framed so far. “We will take a decision when the notification is issued; there is no hurry,” he said.
Sources said the Congress might not prefer to re-nominate those members who had already served two terms in the RS. This means that the former Chief Minister, Mr Nedurumalli Janardhan Reddy, and the former state minister, Mr V. Hanumantha Rao, are out.
The retiring members, Mr J.D. Seelam, and Mr Girish Sanghi, are confident of being renominated.
Six seats from the state are going to be vacated by June this year and biennial poll schedule will be announced next month. Out of the six vacancies, five are from the Congress. But the ruling party may only be able to send four this time, and that too with the support of Majlis and Praja Rajyam. And two seats will go to Telugu Desam kitty.
The five retiring members, including one ‘outsider,’ the Union minister, Mr Jairam Ramesh, and other leaders from the Congress, are eagerly waiting for the decision of the Congress president in this regard.
Meanwhile, there is talk in Delhi that Mr Rahul Gandhi is not keen on ‘outsiders’ being sent to Rajya Sabha from various states. He feels that the RS should really represent the states.
When contacted, Mr Ramesh said that he did not know any thing about his re-nomination. “It is all left to the Congress president, I will abide whatever she decides,” he said.
The Union minister for law, Mr Veerappa Moily, who is in charge of party affairs in AP, also said that no guidelines had been framed so far. “We will take a decision when the notification is issued; there is no hurry,” he said.
Sources said the Congress might not prefer to re-nominate those members who had already served two terms in the RS. This means that the former Chief Minister, Mr Nedurumalli Janardhan Reddy, and the former state minister, Mr V. Hanumantha Rao, are out.
The retiring members, Mr J.D. Seelam, and Mr Girish Sanghi, are confident of being renominated.
