Says no logic in resigning at this hour
Conveys decision to Chief Minister
Assails KCR's political brinkmanship
Avoids meeting party Ministers, MLAs


HYDERABAD July 05 2005: The Transport Minister, S. Santosh Reddy, has refused to resign from the Cabinet on the grounds that "it is neither the time to resign nor the decision a democratic one."

"Before asking us to do so, the TRS president, K. Chandrasekhara Rao, himself should have resigned," he said while speaking to reporters here on Monday.

The Minister accused Mr. Rao of being undemocratic and termed the decision unilateral. Mr. Rao had no business to announce it without consulting everyone in the party, he said.

Mr. Reddy said that he had been asked by his colleagues to join them in trooping out of the Cabinet, but he refused to do so as he failed to see any logic in it.

The TRS president was displaying `political brinkmanship' and he would not become a party to the illogical decision.

He said: "Resigning is no big deal. I can resign from the Cabinet and also quit from the Assembly. But, when it comes to that, all TRS Ministers -- both here and at the Centre -- should quit.

Where is the point in confining the move to us alone?"

`Am no slave'

He said the TRS leaders had called him up a couple of days ago asking him to accompany them to New Delhi. But, they had mentioned no word about the resignations. "I refused to go as I had a hectic schedule here due to the negotiations with the APSRTC employees unions. On Sunday around 9 p.m., I received a call from Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao who conveyed the decision to me. How could I accept his proposal? After all I am not any one's slave," he said.

Earlier, Mr. Santosh Reddy avoided meeting TRS Ministers and MLAs who came to meet him at his residence led by Harish Rao. He also gave the slip to party MLAs at the Secretariat. After addressing the media, he called on the Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, and conveyed his decision not to step down from the Ministry.