Chief Minister K Rosaiah and other Congress leaders are closely watching one person as the anti-Telangana drama unfolds in the coastal districts. Lagadapati Rajagopal,Congress MP from Vijayawada,who was the first MP to quit on December 10 is emerging as the leader of the united Andhra campaign. An industrialist and one of the richest politicians here,Rajagopal,who tried to start a fast-unto-death on Monday against the bifurcation of the state but was detained by police,is projecting himself as a future leader. He is apparently eyeing the post of chief minister of Andhra after the bifurcation of Telangana. From the time he quit last week,Rajagopal has been organising protests and rallies in Vijayawada and making pithy anti-Telangana statements that had everyone opposed to the new state rallying around him. By taking the lead,Rajagopal chairman of the US $ 3 billion Lanco Group which is into power,construction and property development and has its headquarters in Banjara Hills in Hyderabad has managed to grab attention in seven of the nine coastal districts,namely Krishna,Guntur,East and West Godavari ,Vizag,Vizianagaram and Srikakulam. The other two districts,Prakasam and Nellore,are closer to Rayalaseema. Observers say that if Telangana becomes a separate state,the Congress high command may look for another chief minister for Andhra rather than retaining K Rosaiah. Rajagopal,it is believed,fancies himself to be that candidate. Since 1995,chief ministers have been from Rayalaseema N Chandrababu Naidu from 1995 to 2004 hails from Chittor while Y S Rajasekhara Reddy was from Kadapa. Now that a state of Telangana may eventually become a reality,it leaves Andhra with nine coastal districts and four Rayalaseema districts. At present there is no state-level Congress leader from the coastal districts. Rajagopal is preparing the ground for himself to fill that gap, a senior Congress leader remarked. In fact,when Rajagopal expressed his intention to start a fast-unto-death,Congress MLA R Damodar Reddy from Suryapet in Nalgonda district in Telangana,took a dig at him. Why are you opposing Telangana and threatening to go on a fast? We dont mind you becoming the next chief minister of Andhra, he remarked in Hyderabad on Sunday. Rajagopal claimed that 175 MLAs of various parties of non-Telangana regions would oppose the resolution on Telangana if it is moved in the Assembly. He intends to indicate that he knows the pulse of MLAs of all parties and they all agree with him. He appears to know more than the parties themselves, a source said. Rajagopal is also at the forefront of demanding that the Telangana resolution be moved in the Assembly well aware that it may not be passed but also knowing that once the Centre has said yes to Telangana,eventually it will have to move in that direction, the source added. He was taken into custody outside the airport before he could start his fast-unto-death Monday morning. Soon after his release,he was summoned by Chief Minister K Rosaiah who asked him not to precipitate the matter further.
