Gentlemen don''t issue threats, Cong to Jaganmohan

New Delhi, Jan 12 (PTI) Congress today sought to call thebluff of Y S Jaganmohan Reddy who has said its government inAndhra Pradesh is continuing as being a gentleman he has notasked MLAs supporting him to resign, saying gentlemen donotissue threats and if they do they carry them out.

"Gentlemen do not issue threats in the first place and ifthey do, they carry out their threats," party spokespersonAbhishek Singhvi told reporters giving enough hints that theparty views the threat by the rebel leader as an empty one.

Reddy, who has revolted against the Congress in AndhraPradesh, took his battle to Delhi yesterday by demonstratinghis clout in the state party unit with two Congress MPs and 23MLAs on his side during a one-day protest fast here on a waterdispute issue.

"Currently I am doing a favour to the Congress partybecause if my MLAs resign, the government there will fall. HadI wanted, I could have done it a long time ago. I am agentleman. So I am doing a favour to the Congress party,"Jagan had said yestersday.

The Congress has 155 MLAs in the 294-member AndhraPradesh Assembly and the Congress government can come underpressure if the 23 MLAs withdraw support.

Singhvi, though skeptical on the number of MLAs presentin Jagan''s programme, sought to put such party leaders ontenterhooks, saying, "appropriate action will be taken atapprorpriate time keeping in view all aspects and our largerstrategy for the state."

He said that there was "nothing like a threat to thestate government. We are not sure of even the figure (of MLAspresent in Jagan''s meeting)."

Congress had yesterday also dismissed Jagan''s claim asan "illusion", saying that the Kiran Reddy government wasnever and would never face any danger.

Congress government in Andhra Pradesh was never underany threat, is not under any threat and would never be. Ifany person has any illusions at all, they will be demystifiedsoon," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari had said.

The assertions by Congress spokespersons also indicatethat the party has perhaps chalked out a contingency plan inview of the possibility of few MLAs withdrawing support fromthe state government.

The party is banking heavily on newly installed ChiefMinister Kiran Kumar Reddy to tackle the situation giving morethan hints that it was an "acid test" and if he could provehis leadership, it would be better for him and the party.

Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily also expressed theconfidence that the Congress government in the state will notfall when asked about Jagan''s claim that the Andhra Pradeshgovernment was at his mercy.

Moily, who is in charge of Congress affairs in AndhraPradesh, had yesterday termed the present crisis as "temporaryripples in the water" and said "everything will be set rightsoon".