Andhra Pradesh governor E.S.L. Narasimhan met Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Friday amidst indications that the government is veering close towards convening an all-party meeting over the demand for a separate Telangana state.
Mr Narasimhan’s meeting with Central leaders, including the home minister, comes at a time when political buzz is that the Congress could announce its decision on the issue that has split the party on regional lines.
For now, the home ministry is treading cautiously and will wait for the eight political parties in the state to make their stand clear on the issue before it convenes an all-party meet to arrive at a consensus. Government sources indicated it may take few months before a final decision is announced.
The ministry of home affairs, meanwhile, is keeping a close watch on the law and order situation in the state and is wary of the repercussions of any move that may fuel unrest in the state.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has also asked the statehood seekers holding a Telangana March in Hyderabad on September 30 to postpone it, saying the march could not be permitted in view of the Ganesh immersion as well as the Convention on Biodiversity.
Earlier this month, Mr Shinde made it clear that the Centre would not make any announcement on Telangana without considering the Naxal problem. He referred to reports that indicated that creation of smaller states had seen the spread of Naxalism, with Naxal activities being witnessed in smaller states like Chhattisgarh.
However, deliberations on the vexed Telangana issue seem to have gained momentum, with Mr Narasimhan meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday.
On Friday, Mr Narasimhan also met finance minister P. Chidambaram, health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, also the Congress general secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh, and MoS in PMO V. Narayanasamy.
Though the meetings were described as “courtesy calls”, the governor did not oblige media queries about the nature of his discussions with the leaders. Speculation is rife that the Andhra Pradesh chief minister may call on Mrs Gandhi over the weekend.