With allocation of portfolios to the newly sworn-in ministers triggering a rebellion against the Andhra Pradesh chief minister, the Congress high command today swung into action to defuse the crisis threatening to destabilise the Kiran Kumar Reddy government.
As part of efforts to mollify the dissatisfied ministers, the Chief Minister has despatched ministers Aanam Ramanarayana Reddy and Kasu Venkata Krishna Reddy for talks with the rebellious ministers.
V Vasant Kumar, who was rural development minister earlier and now made tourism minister, sent his resignation to the chief minister late on Wednesday night while many others were contemplating to follow suit.
Another senior minister Dharmana Prasada Rao, who has been shifted from the important revenue portfolio to roads and building, is said to be under tremendous pressure from his followers in Srikakulam district to step down rather than stomach the 'ignominy'.
Party sources said Mrs Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel and Union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad spoke to senior minister Botsa Satyanarayana, who is suspected to be behind the rebellion against Kiran Kumar Reddy. Botsa reportedly told the AICC leaders that a lot of 'injustice' was done to the backward castes in the allocation of portfolios as all the plum departments were handed over to Reddys only.
The AICC leaders reportedly promised to talk to the chief minister and get back even as several sulking ministers met this morning to discuss their strategy.
Botsa, in fact, told the chief minister late on Wednesday night that 'this (government) is not your private limited company' and cautioned that the issue would have serious repercussions.
Cooperation minister K. Venkata Krishna Reddy, who met few ministers at the Minister’s Quarters here, told reporters that the issue would end soon.
"Congress is all one family and everything will be alright soon," he said. Replying to a query, he said Vasant Kumar has not quit as MLA. Asserting that problems, if any, can be sorted out, State Congress president D. Srinivas appealed to the ministers to observe restraint.
"If there are any small defects anywhere, they can be resolved. My request to ministers is that they should observe restraint. I will speak to the Chief Minister and this issue should not snowball into a problem. My appeal to ministers is to observe restraint," he said.