Telangana simmers on statehood decision expectations Cong in a bind

Protests intensified for a second day across Andhra Pradesh today over the Telangana statehood issue, with Hyderabad simmering after the arrest of Telangana Rashtra Samithi leaders. The fresh round of protests had erupted after Ghulam Nabi Azad, part of the ruling Congress party’s national leadership and in charge of the state at the All India Congress Committee, had said a decision on statehood would be “delayed”.

Earlier, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde had said last month that a decision would be taken by January 28.

The party is in a bind over the issue. Party head Sonia Gandhi chaired a core group meeting last night on the issue, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh present but no decision was finalised. She’d already had two rounds of discussions with senior ministers last week. Members of Parliament from both the pro-Telangana and pro-Samaikhyandhra (United Andhra) factions are camping here. They have been lobbying with seniors such as Shinde, Azad and Vayalar Ravi.

TELANGANA TURMOIL

• Fresh protests after Ghulam Nabi Azad said decision on statehood would be “delayed”
• Both pro- and anti-Telangana factions are adamant on their demands
• All eyes on 10, Janpath (Sonia Gandhi’s residence), with Cabinet seniors saying final decision will come from there

Both camps are adamant on their demands. “The Congress party has to take a decision on Telangana. If not by January 28, it can’t delay it too long. There could be a backlash of people’s anger. After all, it was then Home Minister P Chidambaram in 2009 who had announced the creation of a separate state of Telangana. The party’s flip-lop since then cannot continue for long,” said Madhu Goud Yaskhi, an MP who’s been vocal about the demand for Telangana statehood. The united Andhra lobby has been telling the high command that separating the state and giving into the demand for Telangana would hurt the party’s interests.

The home ministry has, among other things, suggested setting up an autonomous council on the lines of the Bodoland Territorial Council and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. However, pro-Telangana supporters are not willing to accept anything short of a separate state. “All these sort of arrangements have been tried before. The councils have been in existence since the 1970s but have failed,” says Rajya Sabha member Ananda Bhaskar. All eyes are now on 10, Janpath (Gandhi’s residence), with Cabinet seniors saying the final decision will come from there.