What would be the reaction of chief minister Chandrababu Naidu now, as his challenge to opposition parties for a debate on the special status is accepted by two leaders?

Chief minister yesterday hurled a challenge for a open discussion on the special status and his efforts to get it. Opposition parties are not sure that Naidu was sincere and believe that he had traded the special status with centre intervention to bail him out in cash-for-vote scam in Telangana. Now, they accepted the challenge.

First to accept the challenge was APCC president N Raghuvira Reddy, later former Rajahmundry MP Undavalli Arun Kumar announced he was ready for open debate at anyplace and at any time ” I am ready for a debate. Fix up the date and venue,” Raghuvira Reddy said on Friday . He asked the chief minister to fix the date, timing and venue at his convenience and he had no reservation whatsoever on these matters. “We will discuss what you placed before PM. Your deputy CM says he was not taken into confidence. Let us discuss all the issues, including the package for Rayalaseema and North Coastal Andhra,” he said.

Undavalli has gone a bit further and conveyed his readiness for the debate in writing. Writing a letter, he requested the CM not go back on the challenge and fix the venue as early possible. Welcoming Naidu’s bold decision for a public debate, the former MP urged the CM, “to provide him with an opportunity to raise the sentiments and emotions pent up in the minds of the people in debate within confines of agenda you fix up and on the date you choose.” He said he wrote many letters earlier expressing his desire to debate the issues like Pattiseema, but he did not get even acknowledgement.

” This is it heartening that you (the CM) had invited us for a debate,”  he said hoping that CM would invite him the debate. Now we have to wait and watch if Naidu would backtrack on the challenge or go forward to fix date and venue for the great debate..