Telangana issue heats up, Congress to quicken process

With the agitation for statehood to Telangana intensifying, the Congress has fast-tracked the process of finding a permanent solution to the issue. Through the day on Saturday, the key leaders of the Congress and the centre were busy holding a series of discussions with various representatives from Andhra Pradesh.

“We have met nine leaders from Andhra Pradesh including the chief minister (Kiran Kumar Reddy), deputy chief minister (D Raja Narasimha), five ministers including state and cabinet, the PCC president (B Satyanarayana) and the immediate past preside of the PCC (D Srinivas). We are working on finding a solution to the issue at the earliest,” Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Congress’s Andhra Pradesh in charge, said in Delhi.

Though several leaders who had met the sub-core committee headed by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee ruled out president’s rule for now, sources said the Congress party is keeping the option open in case the stalemate continues further.
According to Azad, more leaders from Andhra Pradesh would come to Delhi to express their opinions on the statehood issue on Monday. “We are trying to finalise the opinion of the Congress party first as part of wider consultation. We will talk to the UPA partners in the next stage,” he said.

AP’s governor ESL Narasimhan too had a busy day in Delhi on Saturday. He met prime minister Manmohan Singh, home minister Chidambaram, defence minister AK Antony and finance minister Pranab Mukherjee before meeting the president. Though Narasimhan is believed to have briefed the central ministers on the developments in Andhra Pradesh, his meeting with the president is being seen in the backdrop of his term as the governor coming to an end in January 2012.

Interestingly, none of the leaders from Andhra Pradesh was willing to disclose the details of the discussions with the central leaders.

“I have come here to discuses aspirations of the people of Andhra Pradesh and to find amicable solution for everyone. I have given my opinion and soon they will come out with some solution for benefit of state,” chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy said after meeting Mukherjee. While the PCC president B Satyanarayana said, “I can’t disclose to media what all happened inside,” another minister and an MP from Telangana Jaipal Reddy said, “I have expressed my views on the Telangana issues.”

Meanwhile, the 26-day general strike is likely to get intensified further with the Telangana joint action committee (JAC) comprising about 150 different groups of employees, teachers, workers and school managements has decided to continue the strike till the statehood is achieved. The JAC has decided to hold a rail roko on October 12,13 and 14.

The TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao, who is also a key member of the JAC, said that the option of his indefinite fast is still open and he would decide on sitting on a fast if the situation calls for. The indefinite fast threat is also being given by the MPs of the

Congress. Madhu Yaski Goud, a senior Congress MP from Nizamabad in Telangana, has announced that he would take a decision on an indefinite fast in the next couple of days. “I will wait for another two to three days for an announcement on Telangana from the centre. In case, there is no such announcement I would sit on an indefinite fast,” Goud said.