Telangana issue: Andhra CM not in favour of the state`s division

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has told the Congress leadership he would not be a party to a division of the state.

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has told the Congress leadership that he would not be a party to a division of the state.

"I will not be a party to any destructive decision", Kiran reportedly told AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh, hours before the latter attended the Congress Core Group meeting at the Prime Minister`s residence last evening, sources close to him said. Having realized that the Congress high command has made up its mind in favour of creating a Telangana state, the Chief Minister first asked it to postpone any announcement at least till the completion of elections to local bodies. But when he was told that the decision could not be put off any further, Reddy told Digvijay Singh that he would not be a party to any "destructive" decision that would harm the interests of both Andhra Pradesh and Congress, the sources said. On his return here from New Delhi, Reddy today met a few MLCs and MLAs close to him and narrated details of his interaction with Digvijay Singh and also Sonia Gandhi. "They have taken a decision but we made them put off an announcement for now. We have to first complete the local bodies elections", the Chief Minister reportedly told the legislators. Elections to gram panchayats will be complete by July 31 but a notification for elections to Urban Local Bodies (ULB) is expected to be issued after August 15. Polls to ULBs will be complete by the second week of September and immediately thereafter the state will have to go for elections to mandal and zilla parishads in accordance with the Supreme Court order. PTI