Rosaiah: Ill-at-ease but peaceful

Hyderabad: In the last five and a half months since he has become Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Konijeti Rosaiah has been ill-at-ease managing one crisis after the other.
Despite being a senior political leader, and one who had been a minister for many years in different governments, Rosaiah somehow has been appearing “helpless” ever since the turmoil over the state bifurcation issue broke out in December last.
“None may believe, but really I am peaceful,” Rosaiah remarked in an informal chat with newsmen.
On the suggestion that he was sounding alike his predecessor Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, who too took things lightly, Rosaiah observed: “I am unlike him. He was young and had a different style of functioning.”
Referring to the ongoing crisis over the separate Telangana statehood demand, the Chief Minister said: “It is an issue that is not in my hands. So, I am not unduly perturbed.”
Rosaiah said there were a lot of issues where “we have to apply our mind.”
“Our main concern is the implementation of various welfare schemes. Besides, there are other issues like power supply which we should take care of,” he added.
Rosaiah, however, expressed concern over the way the state Legislature was functioning. “Over 50 per cent of the MLAs, from all parties, are youngsters. They are feeling irksome over the conduct of the House,” he pointed out.
The Chief Minister denied he was repeatedly “warning” his Cabinet colleagues about the threat of President’s rule being imposed in the state and also about the “collective responsibility.”
“You people write anything in the media. Two days ago one television channel ran a story that I had submitted my resignation. Yesterday someone else published a story that I sent a letter to Sonia Gandhi saying I can’t run the government anymore. Today someone wrote that the Legislative Council will be abolished,” Rosaiah pointed out and only laughed at such reports.
The Chief Minister hoped there would be no problem in getting state Budget for the year 2010-11 passed in the Legislature.