Vote bank politics reason for AP Govt to approach SC: BJP

Hyderabad, Oct 16 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Government's decision to approach the Supreme Court again to clear the decks for reservation for Muslims was with an eye on the Karimnagar Lok Sabha byelection, alleged senior BJP leader and former Union Minister of State for Home Ch Vidyasagar Rao today.

Talking to newspersons here he said Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy would have no option but to step down in the wake of the Apex Court verdict on the Gouru Venkat Reddy clemency case.

Mr Rao alleged that even after the Central Government had submitted to the Apex Court that it was opposed to religion-based reservation, the State Government was tring to 'mislead' the minorities in order to gain 'political mileage' in the ensuing bypoll.

Taking objection to Dr Reddy's reported claim that he had signed the file relating to clemency for the Congress worker without fully reading it, Mr Rao wanted to know how many files the Chief Minister had not read before signing and whether he had signed the file relating to free power to peasants after reading it or not.

Accusing the Congress of cheating the Telangana people on the Statehood issue, he asked after including the Telangana issue in UPA Common Minimum Programme and the President's speech, the Congress now claimed that it was for Constitution of Second States' Reorganisation Commission. ''Why it has not constituted it even after two and half years,'' he asked.

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