DL sends resignation to Sonia Gandhi; asks CM to quit

Health and Family Welfare Minister DL Ravindra Reddy on Thursday resigned from the State Cabinet owning moral responsibility for party's defeat in the recently held by-elections.

However, Ravindra Reddy has sent his resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. In his letter, Ravindra Reddy alleged that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana have been working against the interest of the party. He said if the State leadership continues with the same attitude, then the Congress party would be wiped out from the State.

He asked the Chief Minister and the district in-charge ministers, who were assigned the responsibility of campaigning for the by-elections, to own moral responsibility for party’s poor performance and resign from their posts. He said that the Ministers should not escape from owning moral responsibility for the failure.

Meanwhile, former minster Dr P Shankar Rao came out in support of Ravindra Reddy and demanded that the entire State cabinet resign following humiliating defeat in the by-elections. Talking to reporters at Assembly Media Point, Dr Shankar Rao alleged that the Chief Minister was supporting the corrupt ministers. He said that Dalits were distancing themselves away from the Congress party due to the wrong policies of the Chief Minister.

However, AICC Secretary and MLC P Sudhakar Reddy advised the minister to restrain from making controversial statements. He said that the State Congress leaders should bury their differences to avoid further damage.