Azad tells Andhra troika to be good boys

HYDERABAD: As expected, chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana and deputy chief minister Damodar Rajanarasimha in Delhi dutifully sat before AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday and were told to be good boys. During a three-hour meeting, the high command factotum lectured the troika against quarrelling frequently what with 18 by-elections coming up soon. They were told that they are now on notice: the high command would keep an eye on them, looking at, in particular, their approach to the by-elections.After the results, the party would rate the performance of each and suitably reward or punish them.Botcha and Kiran did not have their meeting with party president Sonia Gandhi.She is expected to give an audience Thursday.Sources said that Azad had a detailed discussion with the state leaders on the strategy to be implemented to ensure victory for the party win in the ensuing by-elections.Azad is understood to have discussed constituency wise situation with the state leaders. Both the chief minister and PCC president are understood to have submitted separate reports on the situation prevailing in the constituencies.State leaders also presented two sets of the probable candidates and Azad reportedly told them that winnability should be the main criteria for selection of the candidates.Sources added that Azad wanted party-government coordination committees constituted in each Assembly segment and an election coordination committee at the state level.“The high command seems to be taking the bypolls very seriously. Azad repeatedly insisted on a better performance in the by-elections and victories in a majority of them,” a source said.Sources said that Azad specifically told Kiran Reddy to take others into confidence while taking decisions and disapproved of the chief minister’s penchant to be inaccessible to others’ opinion.“Azad told him to change a little if he wants a change in others,” a source said.After the three-hour meeting, all the three leaders left for Andhra Bhavan and were again closeted for half-an hour. Though the state leaders are tightlipped on the outcome of the meeting with Azad, sources said that another round of meeting is likely next week to finalise the bypolls strategy.