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Posted on 01 October 2011 |
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STATEHOOD
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Time has come for Telangana: Keshav Rao
Pro-Telangana leaders cluster-bomb New Delhi in a bid to win the 42-year fight
G Vishnu
New Delhi
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K Keshava Rao
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The Telangana crisis has reached Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s doorsteps, with Telangana Rashtriya Samiti (TRS) chief Chandrashekhar Rao as well as Congress’ own Members of Parliament and Ministers issuing a ‘make or break’ warning to the UPA government.
“Telangana” parts of Andhra Pradesh, which has been shut down for the last 21 days, has seen three suicides on just 2 October. The pro-Telangana leaders are in New Delhi to convince the Centre as well as opposition that the time has come for the 42-year-old movement for a separate state to end. Five Telangana Congress MPs along with five ministers, two MLAs and one MLC met the Prime Minister asserting that he either issues a “statement which is pro-Telangana” or “put a definite time frame on the establishment of the new state”.
Rajya Sabha MP Keshava Rao, who is the chairman of the Telangana Congress steering Committee, speaking to TEHELKA, said that the delegation told the PM that the Telangana movement cannot wait anymore. “We told him that all the ministers, MLAs and the MLCs will resign if there is no movement on the issue. There will be no government then,” he said. “He gave us a patient hearing as we asserted that the prejudice against Telangana must end,” he added.
Sources revealed to TEHELKA that the sticky issue troubling the Congress over taking a tangible decision on Telangana continues to be the question of the city of Hyderabad. The other two issues that need resolution are issues of water sharing and power. Since Telangana is home to the coal belt, which is a major source of power for the whole of Andhra Pradesh, matters pertaining to consumption and distribution of power is proving to be tricky terrain. However, pro-Telangana leaders have always asserted an open minded approach on all the above issues.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj too expressed her support for Telangana on Twitter. “Members of Joint Action Committee of Telangana met me along with Shri KCR President of TRS and Shri Vidya Sagar Leader of BJP. I reiterated our stand that we are in favor of creation of separate Telangana State. We demand that the Government should bring a bill for this purpose. We will lend our full support and get it passed,” said Swaraj.
G Vishnu is a Correspondent with Tehelka.com.
vishnu@tehelka.com
Telangana decision only after Diwali
Government to convene an all-party meeting late October, and table Ghulam Nabi Azad’s report on formation of a separate state
Iftikhar Gilani
New Delhi
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The report of Ghulam Nabi Azad on formation of a separate state of Telangana will be placed before the leaders at an all-party meeting to be held after Diwali
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A core group of ministers, headed by Pranab Mukherjee, on Saturday decided to defer a decision on Teleganga till the festival were over. The Government will convene an all-party meeting here after Diwali. The report of Ghulam Nabi Azad on formation of a separate state of Telangana will be placed before the leaders at the meeting.
The group also urged Congress President Sonia Gandhi to constitute a three-member committee to visit Andhra Pradesh soon after Dussehra to mobilise the party leaders of all three regions to fall in line to support Azad's solution to put an end to the state burning for the past three weeks.
Azad, who explained reasons to the group behind the conclusions he drew, refused to share any details of his report, pointing out that it concerns a sensitive matter and the government does not want to send out any wrong signals until a consensus emerges.
Others in the core group are Home Minister P Chidambaram and A K Antony. Sources said the core group was constituted following discussion on the burning issue in the party's core committee meeting chaired by Sonia Gandhi Friday night.
The Congress sources said the Azad report was being sent to Andhra Pradesh chief minister and PCC chief and both should get it on Sunday to study before a high-level three-member party delegation lands in Andhra Pradesh to speak to the party leaders.
Telangana agitation has paralysed Andhra Pradesh for the past 18 days. The report, which discusses pros and cons but no other solution, was submitted to Sonia Gandhi on Friday by Azad, who is the party’s incharge general secretary of Andhra Pradesh. He finalised the report after consultations with the Andhra PCC president.
On Friday, Sonia Gandhi chaired the core group meeting for the first time since she went abroad for a surgery and suggested to make Azad report as the basis for discussions. Though, Azad refused to discuss the report, but some Congress leaders got a broad hint from him, when he recommended to capitalise to honour wishes of the people.
Iftikhar Gilani is Special Correspondent with Tehelka.com
iftikhar@tehelka.com
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