Andhra CM Rosaiah meets Antony, no decision taken on Jagan

NEW DELHI - Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah met Defence Minister A K Antony and Union Law and Justice Minister M Veerappa Moily here on Tuesday to discuss several issues related to his state, including possible Congress party disciplinary action against Kadapa MP Jaganmohan Reddy.

Antony heads the Congress Disciplinary Committee, and Moily is in charge of Andhra Pradesh.

K Rosaiah is expected to meet Sonia Gandhi later in the day.

Upset over rebel Congress leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s TV channel Sakshi telecasting a “highly obnoxious” programme criticising party president Sonia Gandhi, the party high command on Sunday sought a report from its Andhra Pradesh unit.

The development occurred even as the channel, making a U turn, re-telecast the programme deleting adverse references to Sonia and clarifying that it had not targeted her.

Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed had earlier said a view on the issue would be taken once the report is received from the state unit.

Sakshi, the 24-hour Telugu news channel owned by Kadapa MP and son of late chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, had launched a frontal attack on Sonia Gandhi in a one-hour programme on Friday night.

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was also targeted along with Sonia Gandhi.

Denying that the programme was against Sonia Gandhi or the Prime Minister, Sakshi CEO Priyadarshini Ram said the programme’s content was primarily an editorial decision and there was no interference by Jaganmohan Reddy.

“It was not a story against…either Sonia Gandhi or Manmohan Singh. It was a current story that was based on the 125 years of the Congress party,” he added.

He also clarified that the channel has made “no change at all” in the content of the programme that was shown on Friday and Saturday and repeated today at least thrice.

“We completely stand by our story. There is no U-turn as the same story has been replayed with some additions and a new anchor.

That is only a technical process,” Ram said. (ANI)