Hyderabad: As the indefinite strike by government employees for a Telangana state completed 23 days yesterday and became more intensified with thousands joining from the excise department, Congress dropped more hints it was not going to take any decision immediately.
In an indication of the hardening of the stand by the party, the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy yesterday accepted the resignation of a Telangana minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy. He recommended to the governor ESL Narasimhan that the resignation of the minister should be accepted.
Venkat Reddy, from Nalgonda district, submitted the resignation to the governor on October 1 in protest of the delay in a decision by the central government on the Telangana issue.
High command
It is believed the decision was taken by the Chief Minister after getting the nod from high command and it was aimed at discouraging other Telangana ministers from taking similar steps.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and finance minister Pranab Mukherji, who was given the responsibility by party president Sonia Gandhi to deal with the Telangana issue said no immediate decision was possible as accepting the demand of Telangana would create more problems.
In an interview on a national TV channel, Mukherji said it was a very sensitive and complex issue and no time frame could be given to solve it. Noting the issue had lingered for 50 years, he said more discussions were needed.
Mukherji's statement came amid reports he was planning to visit Andhra Pradesh in the next couple of days for an assessment of the situation.
In an indication of the hardening of the stand by the party, the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy yesterday accepted the resignation of a Telangana minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy. He recommended to the governor ESL Narasimhan that the resignation of the minister should be accepted.
Venkat Reddy, from Nalgonda district, submitted the resignation to the governor on October 1 in protest of the delay in a decision by the central government on the Telangana issue.
High command
It is believed the decision was taken by the Chief Minister after getting the nod from high command and it was aimed at discouraging other Telangana ministers from taking similar steps.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and finance minister Pranab Mukherji, who was given the responsibility by party president Sonia Gandhi to deal with the Telangana issue said no immediate decision was possible as accepting the demand of Telangana would create more problems.
In an interview on a national TV channel, Mukherji said it was a very sensitive and complex issue and no time frame could be given to solve it. Noting the issue had lingered for 50 years, he said more discussions were needed.
Mukherji's statement came amid reports he was planning to visit Andhra Pradesh in the next couple of days for an assessment of the situation.
