Kiran Reddy unfazed by Andhra Cong leaders` threat to join TRS

Unfazed by move of 3 Congress leaders to quit party, Andhra CM said people were free to join any political party.

New Delhi: Unfazed by the move of three Congress leaders to quit the party and join Telangana Rashtra Samiti, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Thursday said saying people were free to join any political party but a deadline to resolve the vexed Telangana issue cannot be set keeping in mind its sensitive nature. He refused to comment on the decision of Congress leader K Keshava Rao and two party MPs G Vivekanananda and Manda Jagannatham to join TRS, saying people were free to join any political party in a democracy. "There is nothing to say. What do I say. India is a democracy, and people can join any party they like," he said. "The issue of Telangana is a sensitive and delicate issue...Because of the pressure from the people, the Centre is trying to find an amicable solution," he told reporters here. In reply to a poser, Reddy said "no deadline can be set for the resolution because it is sensitive" in nature.

He also said the resolution should be acceptable to all as there are similar demands from elsewhere in the country. "It is not a simple issue and I request people from Andhra Pradesh to remain calm till a resolution is arrived at," he said. At the AICC briefing, party spokesperson Bhakta Charan Das said he was not aware of the development and can only speak on the issue after talking to Rao. Top sources in the party, however, remained dismissive of the threat saying the party was in no hurry to approach them. There is a view that their decision to join TRS had more to do with personal interests than any ideological issue. Rao`s Rajya Sabha term had ended last year. PTI