Telangana and Seemandhra ministers attend dinner hosted by CM

Hyderabad: For the first time in over a month after Congress announced its decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh, ministers from Telangana and Seemandhra came together in Hyderabad tonight for a dinner hosted by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy.

However, Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha and senior ministers from Telangana like K Jana Reddy, Ponnala Lakshmaiah and Danam Nagender stayed away from the occasion which was held in honour of the 14th Finance Commission Chairman YV Reddy.

"No politics were discussed," a senior minister said, after coming out of the camp residence.

Ministers from Telangana and coastal Andhra-Rayalaseema regions have been at loggerheads ever since Congress announced decision to form a separate state. The ministers from the Telangana region have accused Mr Reddy of leading the ongoing agitation in coastal Andhra-Rayalaseema region for a "united" state.

Some senior ministers from the region had even lodged a complaint with the Congress high command against the chief minister for extending "tacit support" to the "united" Andhra Pradesh agitation.