Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Wednesday said that the time has come for the Centre to take a final decision on the Telangana statehood issue.
Owning responsibility for the debacle of Congress party in the by-elections, the Chief Minister said that the Centre should announce its decision on the statehood issue soon.
Talking to media persons at Assembly premises, Kiran Kumar Reddy attributed the party's defeat to lack of coordination between the government and party in taking government schemes and programmes among the people. Stating that the result of by-election results was a good lesson for the Congress, he said that the party would take failures as stepping stone and take steps to strengthen the party.
The Chief Minister also rubbished the media reports of him having differences with Pradesh Congress Committee president Botsa Satyanarayana. However, he said that he alone should be held responsible for the party’s rout in the by-elections. Asking the party cadre not to lose confidence due to party's poor performance, he said that the party would take collective responsibility for its failure in the by-elections.
Kiran Kumar Reddy also admitted that the selection of wrong candidate (M Prakash) in Mahbubnagar Assembly Constituency has cost the party dearly in the by-elections. However, he said that the party has performed better compared to the Telugu Desam Party which lost its deposits in three constituencies.
The Chief Minister condemned Health and Family Welfare Minsiter DL Ravindra Reddy's demand for resignation of entire cabinet for the party's rout in the by-elections.