Telangana issue: Centre calls meeting on Jan 5

The Centre, in an attempt to end the imbroglio over Telangana, today convened a meeting here on January 5 of eight recognised political parties in Andhra Pradesh for a discussion on the issue, a move welcomed by a grouping of all parties spearheading the statehood stir.

Home Minister P Chidambaram today sent an invitation to leaders of the eight parties following his December 23 statement in which he had promised to hold wide-ranging consultations with all political parties and groups in the state on the issue of separate Telangana state.

Congress, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), CPI, CPI(M), Praja Rajyam, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) are the recognised parties in Andhra Pradesh.

The Centre's decision comes after detailed discussions in the government and at the highest political level in Congress party in the last few days after political parties were divided on regional lines in Andhra Pradesh and demanded immediate steps on formation of the separate state.

The Joint Action Committee of political parties, spearheading the campaign for Telangana, hailed the Centre's decision to hold a meeting of political parties in Delhi but said it would like to know its "scope and purpose".

TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao had said yesterday that he was prepared for talks but would not not accept setting up of any committee on the issue which, he considered, would be a waste of time.

Parties and leaders from Telangana cited the statement of Chidambaram on December 9 in which he had promised that the process of forming Telangana would be initiated.