Cong not to act against Jagan Reddy for now

New Delhi: There seems to be some respite for Andhra Congress rebel leader Jaganmohan Reddy despite his TV channel telecasting controversial remarks against the party leadership.

Sources have told CNN-IBN that Congress will not act against former Andhra Pradesh CM's son over Sakshi channel's outburst against Sonia Gandhi.

A senior party leader today said that the party is not going to act in a haste into the issue as Jaganmohan himself had not make any remarks against Congress President Sonia Gandhi or Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"We have to be technically correct also," he said adding that Jaganmohan has already made it clear that he does not interfere in day-to-day functioning of the Sakshi TV channel owned by him, which telecast the programme.

Earlier, Andhra Pradesh CM K Rosaiah met senior Congress leaders A K Antony, Ahmed Patel and P Chidambaram to resolve the issue.

Rosaiah, who has strongly condemned the programme on the TV channel owned by Jaganmohan, is believed to have met Sonia Gandhi, but there was no confirmation about it.

It was decided at the meeting to retain the status quo in the state till the winter session of the Andhra Assembly ends.

The central leadership of Congress had earlier sought a report from the state leadership on the issue, which was submitted yesterday.

Reacting to the telecast, Law Minister M Veerappa Moily, who is the AICC in-charge for Andhra Pradesh yesterday said, it was a "serious issue"

However, he refused to answer whether disciplinary action was in the offing against Jagan.

Senior party leader from Andhra Pradesh and former PCC chief K Keshava Rao has also been maintaining that the party would not like to make Jaganmohan a "martyr" by taking action against him as "this is what exactly he wants".

Rao said Jaganmohan wants to float a regional party and wants Congress to throw him out so that he becomes a "martyr".

At the AICC briefing, Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed said the central leadership of the party had sought a report from the state unit on the issue and anything can be said only after the report is analysed and a conclusion is reached.

Sakshi, the 24-hour Telugu news channel owned by the 38-year-old Kadapa MP and son of late chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, had launched a frontal attack on Sonia as well as the organisation in the one-hour programme.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also targeted along with the "coterie around Sonia" for the "sorry state of affairs in Congress."

(With PTI inputs)