By IANS,
Hyderabad : The ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh is facing an embarrassing situation with a section of party leaders from Telangana demanding that Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah resign for alleged irregularities in ‘Jalayagnam’, a massive irrigation programme.
Senior Congress leader P. Goverdhan Reddy Tuesday claimed he had evidence to prove his allegations against the minister. Defending his remarks, he offered to provide the evidence if the government holds a meeting on the issue. He told reporters that he would also meet the governor and submit a memorandum on the matter.
M.S. Rajalingam, a member of the Legislative Council belonging to Congress party, has also levelled allegations against Ponnala and said he had no right to remain in the cabinet. Ponnala, who also hails from Telangana, has dismissed allegations against him as baseless and rejected the demand for his resignation.
On Sunday, a group of Congress leaders from Telangana, including three MPs, held a meeting and demanded Ponnala’s resignation. They also decided to take up the issue with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
As the division in the party became public, a group of ministers from Telangana came to the defence of their colleague and suggested that the leaders demanding Ponnala’s resignation raise their objections at a proper forum in the party.
The main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) demanded that the minister be sacked forthwith.
“If the minister fails to tender his resignation, the chief minister should sack him immediately to prove that he has zero tolerance for corruption,” TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu told reporters here Tuesday.