TRS to press govt for immediate decision

Even as the Union government spoke of the need for more consultations on the vexed issue of Telangana as a state, the chief political party supporting the movement reiterated on Sunday that time was running out.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), while holding a protest outside Rajghat on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi here, said it would meet the Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues to “convince” them to take an “early decision” on the matter.

“I will meet Manmohan Singh to tell him what is happening in Telangana. I will also tell him that people are suffering there and an early decision on Telangana is the need of the hour,” party chief K Chandrasekhar Rao said. “What is the need for further consultations? How long will they take for a decision? Our people are suffering and dying in Telangana and here people want discussions. We need Telangana, not comforting words,” he added, talking to reporters after a two-hour-long protest at Rajghat.

Rao is camping in Delhi to push for an early decision.

The TRS chief’s son, K T Rama Rao, said he disagreed with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee that Telangana necessitated more parleys, noting the districts of Andhra Pradesh were facing a “grave” situation.

The ruling Congress asserted it was aware of the developments in the southern state, but maintained that the run-up to a separate Telangana warranted a national-level debate.

“We need more consultations at the national level,” said Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is in charge of Congress affairs in Andhra Pradesh.

“I won’t be able to tell you the exact date (of the resolution), but we will try to settle this issue as soon as possible. I can only tell you that we are conscious of the situation. A lot of people are suffering because of the ongoing strike. We want to settle this impasse as soon as possible,” he told reporters at Hyderabad airport.

The pro-Telangana employees of Andhra Pradesh government, who have been on strike since September 13, should resume their duties in “public interest”, he added.