Telangana consultation process over, now time for decision: Digvijay Singh

Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh on Friday said the process of consultation over the issue of forming a separate state of Telangana from parts of Andhra Pradesh is over and the time has come for concerned parties to take a decision.

"We shall let you know when the decision is taken," Singh told media here.

Earlier, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy met lawmakers and legislators from the region to assess their views on the Telangana statehood issue, ahead of a crucial meeting of the Congress Party.

Andhra Pradesh's Urban Development Minister Mahadheer Reddy said he was against the bifurcation of the state.

"We are expecting United Andhra Pradesh, not more than that, not less than that too," he said.

The demand for the separate state has witnessed violent protests with hundreds of lives lost between 1969 and 1972.

The Telangana Movement was organized to support the creation of a new state from the existing state of Andhra Pradesh. The long-standing demand of the people behind the movement has been that a separate

state was the only solution to ending the neglect and exploitation in the region.

Several protests and shutdowns had brought life in Hyderabad region to a near halt in 2009 and 2010 as pro-Telangana activists persisted with their demand.