Hyderabad:
The moment of crisis for K Rosaiah has stretched into what no doubt feels like an eternity for the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister.
On Friday, the number of MLAs resigning from the Andhra Assembly climbed to 136 from Thursday's tally of 96. They say it's the Chief Minister's job to fix things, mainly by informing the government at the Centre about what the people of Andhra really want. In this case, they say that's a reversal of the decision to grant a separate state for Telangana.
Clearly under pressure, Rosaiah was seen on Friday afternoon snapping at reporters: "I am not prepared to take dictation from you." That was followed by a clear attempt to distance himself from the Centre's decision on Telangana, announced on Wednesday at midnight. "They told me only one thing. That the process should start. Process means it cannot be done in one day," said Rosaiah.
It has not been an easy run for the veteran Congressman since he was sworn in as Chief minister after YS Rajasekhara Reddy died in a helicopter crash in September. In October, Congress minister K Surekha resigned demanding that YSR's son, Jaganmohan Reddy, be made chief minister. Now Congress MLAs and municipal councilors have not bothered to consult him before their en masse resignations: "This issue is not as simple as some of our Congress colleagues pleaded with the High Command. These resignations no one prompted," states YSR's brother, Y S Vivekananda Reddy, who is among the councilors who has quit.
In the next few days, Rosaiah may face greater embarrassment. The MLAs who've resigned want a secret ballot on the Telangana issue in the Andhra Assembly. They would then be able to vote against the Congress resolution.
Of the 136 MLAs who've resigned so far, 79 are from the Congress; 43 are from Chandrababu Naiud's Telugu Desam Party, and another 14 are from Chiranjeevi's Praja Raya Party.