Govt to bring things in order, PM tells anti-Telangana MPs

As tension in Andhra Pradesh over the Telangana statehood row refuses to die, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is likely to take concrete steps for salvaging the situation.

At a meeting with anti-Telangana MPs from the Congress, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured them that the government would take some decisions soon “to bring things in order” in the southern state.

“The PM said that he understands that it is a grave situation. He will sit with his colleagues and by tomorrow a decision could be taken to bring things in order,” Congress MP K S Rao told reporters after meeting the PM.

A delegation of 10 MPs today met the prime minister, continuing the ‘pressure tactics’ adopted by the anti-Telangana MPs on the government and the party.

Some of them also held a separate meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel and told him: “We are unable to go back to our constituencies fearing people’s protests.”

Rao said that the group also told the PM that the situation in Andhra Pradesh was going out of control day by day. “A stage may come when even if the government wants to control the situation, it may not be possible,” he said.

The Congress top brass had adopted the strategy to remain silent on the Telangana issue after widespread protests broke out opposing the Centre’s decision to carve out a separate Telangana state.

“We told the prime minister that in a charged atmosphere, this is not a situation to think about Telangana,” Rao added.

Rajya Sabha MP Subbirami Reddy, who was present in the delegation, said if a public announcement was not taken, the situation would go out of control. This section of the Congress wants a detailed announcement from the government that would make it clear that it was not going ahead with its plan to create a separate Telangana.

The government, however, has to consider various consequences before coming out with such a statement. The UPA government also faces the pressure from its pro-Telangana group of MPs and MLAs.