Centre's Decision Isn't Final Word: Botsa

After Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Pradesh Congress Committee president Botsa Satyanarayana too came out in the open, speaking against the party High Command's decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh to carve out a separate Telangana state.

Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Tuesday, Botsa said, "The Congress party has lost its face in the Seemandhra region."

Referring to the Congress High Command as a father, he said that a father could be convinced even if he had agreed for a partition between them. He said that the opposition to the decision to bifurcate AP should not be viewed as lack of commitment. He added that though youngsters are known to abide by their elders' decisions, the latter's decision cannot always be taken as the final word.

Botsa said that as a leader from Seemandhra, he would speak on behalf of the 30 lakh people of that region living in Hyderabad. He said that he would request the Centre to convene an all-party meeting to resolve the ongoing crisis.

The PCC chief also criticised the TDP and the YSRCP for blaming the Congress and its leaders for the Telangana decision. He said that the parties would be forced to define their version of "equal justice of all regions" during the all-party meeting. (INN)