Kiran Reddy keeps up suspense over next move

Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy continued to maintain suspense over his next move even after the expulsion of six Parliament members a day earlier by the Congress party that has left no further room for buying more time to state his future plans.

On Wednesday, he indicated to speak to the media tomorrow, which is the last day of the four-day Assembly session convened to pass the vote-on-account Budget and also the day when the Centre is set to introduce the AP Reorganisation Bill, 2013 in the Lok Sabha.

While speculations about the much publicised move and the timing of his resignation are still doing the rounds, the party, however, has downplayed the impact of such a decision.

"What significance will it carry if the chief minister or someone else resigns just when the announcement of election schedule is around the corner? I hope our chief minister would not take such a decision," Botcha Satyanarayana, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president and a minister in the Kiran Reddy cabinet said today.

The PCC president also took a jibe at the chief minister for not heeding to his suggestion for mass resignations immediately after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) endorsed the state bifurcation in July last year.

"In fact, not quitting the posts six months back by all of us from the Seemandhra region is a historical blunder. It would have become difficult for the Centre to go ahead with the bifurcation Bill had there been no functioning Assembly following the resignations," Satyanarayana, who is toeing the party line, told reporters.

He also refuted any role by the Congress leadership in chief minister's alleged move to quit the post.

On the other hand, no unanimity was found among leaders from Seemandhra as to when and even whether the chief minister would formally announce his resignation as Reddy is keeping his cards close to his chest. However, now it is Kiran Reddy's turn to act in line with his stated opposition to bifurcation as those expelled had been backing his leadership.

People in the chief minister's camp believe he might either announce his resignation on Thursday or wait till the Telangana Bill is passed by Parliament. There were also rumours he might wait till Governor ESL Narasimhan returns from Delhi on February 15.

IAS officers association backs chief secretary

Meanwhile, the AP branch of the IAS Officers Association in a late night statement took strong objection to the accusations made by ministers and some members against the manner in which a government order was issued raising rates of labour and material for the outstanding portion of irrigation projects being executed in EPC mode, with retrospective effect.

Ministers Botcha Satyanarayana and D Nagender had questioned as to why the chief secretary did not bring this matter to the notice of the Cabinet when the decision deals with an additional financial burden of around Rs 20,000 crore.

While expressing solidarity with chief secretary PK Mohanty, the association said the orders were issued only after due approval by the competent authority. The association also "strongly condemns attempts to drag and malign the office of the chief secretary in the controversy, which is primarily of political nature," the statement said.

Responding to the statement, Satyanarayana, said he failed to understand as to why the IAS officers association issued a statement when all he was seeking from the chief minister and the chief secretary was a written response to his objection to the manner in which the orders were issued. "Any proposal involving financial implications with Rs 1 crore and above has to be referred for Cabinet approval as per the business rules. And I don't think the orders were issued without consulting the chief minister," he said.