Decision on Telangana will be taken with everyone's consent: Tariq Anwar

Union Minister of State for Agriculture and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Tariq Anwar on Tuesday said he expected the decision on the formation of the new state of Telangana to be taken with the unanimous consent of all members of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA)

Speaking to ANI TV, Anwar said: "We will see what kind of proposal the Congress Party will give. Only after that, will we (NCP) be able to comment. I am hopeful that the decision (on Telangana) will be taken with everyone's consent."

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Captain Abhimanyu Singh, on the other hand, said it was about time that the Congress fulfilled its delayed promise to create and form a separate state of Telangana.

"The Congress Party had promised during the 2009 general election and in its aftermath to create a separate state of Telangana. We are however concerned and scared that some new issue might erupt. The BJP is concerned about the political games that the Congress is playing and is capable of playing," said Captain Abhimanyu Singh.

"I hope they don't end up creating another mess in the long term for the people (of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana)," he added.

Union Minister and senior Congress leader from Andhra Pradesh D. Purandeswari said that she was not sure about the central Congress leadership having taken a decision on the issue as yet.

She further said: "We have been voicing our concerns to the leaders and I hope they will pay heed to that. We are still trying to convince them not to go ahead with the bifurcation of the state."

Union Minister for Human Resource Development M.M. Pallam Raju chose not to comment on the issue.

Sukhender Reddy of the Congress said that there was no need for anyone to resign from their official posts.

"The division of the state is going to take place with no difference. It is a long pending case. We have been fighting for this (the creation of Telangana) for the past 50 years. Today, the UPA Government will give its final decision," he said.

The contrasting views from the NCP and the BJP came even as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Reddy left for New Delhi to meet with the central Congress leadership.

There were also reports of lawmakers representing the Seemandhra region of state being in New Delhi to meet with Congress general secretary and the party's in charge for political affairs in Andhra Pradesh Digvijay Singh at his official residence.

It is expected that they will try to convince the Congress leadership about the drawbacks of going ahead with the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh once again.