All-party meeting on Telangana unlikely to be held soon

An all-party meeting on the Telangana issue in the near future appears unlikely with the Congress today saying that such an exercise needs to be preceded by talks with the people of different regions of Andhra Pradesh and political parties.

"We won't jump straightaway to all-party meeting, we will have to first talk to people of Andhra Pradesh and people of other political parties and different regions," party general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad told a news channel.

Azad, who is in-charge of party affairs in Andhra Pradesh, said that those agitating for a separate Telangana want some process to start and "this is the time we have to take a decision on this issue".

Dismissing suggestions that the UPA coalition at the Centre was in a crisis in the wake of the resignation of several MPs, he, however, said that "the fact of the matter is that there is a problem and it is going on for sometime."

"It is a sensitive and a complex issue which requires wider consultations," Azad said, adding that earlier in the day he had "very cordial" discussions with MPs and representatives of legislators.

He said these representatives want a discussion to start and "they asked me why no consultations have started. So this is the stage where we are left and I am sure that we will have to start consultations."