Cabinet nod to Telangana likely to be delayed

Home minister has not yet given a go-ahead to the draft prepared for presentation before the Cabinet

The approval of the Union Cabinet for creation of Telangana is likely to be delayed as the Home Ministry is yet to finalise the note to be put up before it.

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde has not yet given a go ahead to the draft prepared for presentation before the Cabinet, sources said.

Shinde is waiting for the recommendations of the high- level committee, headed by Defence Minister A K Antony, which is hearing the concerns of all stakeholders in the wake of the Congress Working Committee decision on a separate Telangana, they said.

The home minister is also expected to place the draft before Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for "political clearance".

After finalisation, the draft will be sent to the Law Ministry for legal vetting before being presented to Cabinet.

The Cabinet, after giving its approval to the creation of a separate Telangana state, is expected to set up a Group of Ministers (GoM) to go threadbare into the issues arising out of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

That is likely to be followed by a resolution being sent to Andhra Pradesh Assembly regarding the formation of the new state. After formation, Telangana will be the 29th state of India.

The CWC, which met on July 30, passed a resolution requesting the Centre "to take steps in accordance with the Constitution to form a separate state of Telangana... Within a definite timeframe".

There have been continuing protests in the non-Telangana parts of Andhra Pradesh against the decision to carve out the new state.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament also witnessed strong protests by Congress and TDP MPs from the Seemandhra region against any move to divide Andhra Pradesh.