In the midst of mounting pressure from both pro and anti-Telangana leaders, Congress president Sonia Gandhi Tuesday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ahead of the crucial United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and Congress Working Committee (CWC) meetings to take a final decision on the separate statehood issue.
The meeting came as leaders from both groups continued with their pressure tactics even as the leadership was veering towards a decision for creation of a separate state.
MPs and union ministers from the Andhra region including human resource development minister M.M. Pallam Raju, J.D. Seelam, D. Purandeshwari and Panabaka Laxmi Tuesday met All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge for Andhra Pradesh Digvijay Singh to register their protest over creation of Telangana.
“I think the core committee has discussed the matter at length. And they are all worried about it that whatever decision they may take is going to have a long-term implication on Andhra Pradesh. And that is exactly what we come to express our apprehension about with the general secretary,” Raju, who hails from Seemandhra region, said after the meeting.
Seelam said whatever information has come about the creation of Telangana is in the media and a decision is yet to be announced officially and hence they have expressed their concerns to the general secretary in-charge about it.
At the same time, Seelam said there was no question of leaving the Congress and “we will abide by the decision.”
In another development, 10 Congress ministers from the state belonging to Telangana region have landed in Delhi and are expected to meet a number of party leaders.
They have also sought an appointment with the Congress president to press for their demand.
Asked about Andhra Pradesh chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy’s opposition to the bifurcation of the state, state information minister D.K. Aruna, who hails from Telangana region said, Reddy is taking the decisions.
“This is a UPA government and Sonia Gandhi will take a final decision,” Aruna said, expressing hope that the 50-year struggle will bear fruit.
Union ministers Sushilkumar Shinde, P. Chidambaram and Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was the earlier AICC general secretary in-charge for Andhra Pradesh, and party leaders Digvijay Singh and Ahmed Patel had a meeting with the Congress president at her residence after Gandhi’s meeting with the Prime Minister.
Ahead of the UPA meeting on Telangana, RLD chief Ajit Singh said the decision should have been taken long back.
Andhra Pradesh deputy chief minister and a prominent Congress leader from Telangana C. Damodar Rajanarasimha said, “Everything will be settled today. They are 100 per cent positive. Telangana is going to be a reality with Hyderabad as the state capital.”
Asked about the dispute on the issue, Rajanarasimha said, “There is no dispute at all. Kindly don’t create dispute, don’t create apprehensions. There are no apprehensions, there is no dispute at all.”
Union minister Chiranjeevi, who had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday along with other central ministers hailing from the coastal Andhra region said, “A final decision has not been taken. We are trying to keep Andhra Pradesh united.”