Telangana issue dominates Azad's visit to Andhra

Hyderabad, May 18: Telangana, Jagan, reported complaints against the unilateral functioning of Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy were among the issues that dominated the two-day visit of AICC leader and Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to the Andhra Pradesh capital.

While the party leaders reportedly complained to Azad about the "unilateral functioning" of the Chief Minister yesterday, the Telangana leaders made a strong pitch for acceding to the separate statehood demand. Others raised the Jagan issue with Azad today.

Defending the Chief Minister, state women's Congress president K Ganga Bhavani tonight said the hands of Kiran Kumar Reddy should be strengthened for him to provide a dynamic leadership.

Azad, who is conversant with Congress affairs in Andhra Pradesh, was appointed in-charge of the party for the fourth time recently.

His visit, that concluded tonight, assumed significance as it came against the backdrop of the party''s humiliating defeating in the Kadapa bypolls and deep divisions within the party''s AP unit over the Telangana issue.

The Congress MLAs, MPs and other senior leaders met Azad separately and made it clear to him that separate Telangana is their only agenda.

"We have already told our party leadership that we will have to take an active part in separate Telangana agitation, if there is no positive decision over the issue. We hope such a situation would not arise," Congress MP from Karimnagar Ponnam Prabhakar told reporters after meeting Azad.

PTI