Congress MPs Ponnnam Prabhakar and S Rajaiah, on Saturday, demanded that the Congress High Command deny interviews to Seemandhra leaders till a final decision is taken on the Telangana issue.
Addressing a press conference at the Congress Legislature Party office, Ponnam said that the Seemandhra leaders were trying to stall the formation of a separate Telangana state using "blackmail".
Therefore, he said that the Congress High Command should avoid them till it takes a final decision on the statehood for the Telangana region. He also asked Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana to ensure that Seemandhra leaders maintain restraint.
The Karimnagar MP alleged that by trying to stall the Telangana State, the Seemandhra leaders were weakening the party in Telangana while strengthening the YSR Congress Party in their regions.
He said that instead of Samaikhyandhra, the Seemandhra leaders should hold meetings against YSRCP.
He also objected to the use of word "united Andhra Pradesh" for the meetings being convened by the Seemandhra leaders. He said that not a single leader from Telangana region was participating in those meetings, and that therefore, they should be termed "Seemandhra meetings".
Warangal MP Rajaiah also alleged that certain Seemandhra leaders were weakening the Congress in their regions as their relatives have already joined the YSRCP.
"By issuing statements against Telangana, they are also damaging the party's prospects in the Telangana region," he alleged. (INN)