“Operation Telangana” appears to have begun with the Congress calling meetings of the UPA coordination committee and Congress Working Committee (CWC) here on Tuesday to take a crucial decision on a subject that could open up a Pandora’s box of problems.
The agenda for the two meetings have yet to be communicated formally, according to UPA and Congress insiders. But AICC officials indicated it could be on the creation of a separate state of Telangana. The high-level meetings are being called on the eve of the conclusion of the panchayat polls in Andhra Pradesh.
The Congress high command has made up its mind to split the state and crisis managers are working to see that the operation is successful.
In Hyderabad, sources said the new state will either comprise 10 districts of Telangana and two districts of Rayalaseema region or will be a Telangana state as per the original demand. Either way, it appears that India may get its 29th state.
Reports also indicate that Hyderabad will remain the common capital for both states for a few years.
The UPA’s coordination panel will meet on Tuesday evening followed by the Congress Working Committee meeting which will “endorse” the decision already taken by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in this regard.
A section of the party speculates that the CWC could pass a resolution to constitute a second States Reorganisation Commission instead of focusing on Telangana,an exercise within the party confined to the creation of a Telangana state. Besides, the Congress is in no position to face demands for smaller states in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
It is still unclear whether permanent and special invitees to the CWC would be called for Tuesday’s meeting.
AICC general secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh Digvijay Singh, who has been holding discussions with state leaders, said the “final decision would be announced tomorrow”.
Admitting that it was “not an easy decision”, Mr Singh said everyone has been heard on the issue and their viewpoints have been taken into account. A decision has to be taken in the “national interest”, he said, but did not elaborate.
The Congress party wants to take its allies in the UPA on board on this issue after sensing that the issue of creating smaller states would spread outside Andhra Pradesh for different reasons.
Congress managers are watching how leaders for a united Andhra in the state government and at the Centre will react to a Telangana state. Whether they will come out of the government or concede the reality might be seen in the coming days.
Meanwhile, an additional 1,000 paramilitary personnel have been rushed to Andhra Pradesh by the Union home ministry to deal with any situation arising out of a decision on Telangana. The additional forces, along with the existing 1,200 paramilitary personnel, are expected to be deployed in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, where protests may erupt if the Centre takes a decision in favour of bifurcating Andhra Pradesh to create Telangana state, according to an agency report.
In Hyderabad, Congress leaders from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions who are opposed to the creation of Telangana held a closed-door meeting with chief minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy during the day.
Ministers T.G. Venkatesh, Erasu Pratap Reddy, Dokka Manikya Varaprasad, Ganta Srinivasa Rao, MP Ananta Venkatarami Reddy and a few MLAs and MLCs held a meeting with the CM at the Secretariat to discuss the emerging political scenario.
The Congress-led UPA comprises the Rashtriya Lok Dal, National Conference, Indian Union Muslim League, Kerala Congress, Sikkim Democratic Front and All India United Democratic Front. All of these parties have supported statehood for Telangana from the beginning, and it is being presumed that there will not be any opposition to forming the new state.
However, there is a conflict of opinion among the parties supporting the UPA from the outside, like the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal.
Sources said that the Congress high command will “formally make an official announcement” on Tuesday in the presence of CM Kiran Kumar Reddy, PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana and deputy CM Damodar Raja Narasimha in order to send a message across the state that irrespective of their individual opinions, they will abide by the party’s decision.
Sources said that once a decision on the formation of Telangana is announced, the UPA government will, if necessary, make a statement during the ensuing Monsoon Session of Parliament, announcing that the process of formation of Telangana has already started and will be completed after due constitutional process.
The next Union Cabinet meeting may endorse the decision of the CWC and UPA and approve a time-frame for the creation of the 29th state of the Indian Union.