All eyes on Congress core committee meeting on Telangana

All eyes are on Congress core committee that is likely to take a decision on the demand for separate Telangana state at its meeting in New Delhi Friday.

Amid an air of expectancy among leaders in Telangana and anxiety in Seemandhra (Rayalaseema and Andhra regions), Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, his deputy Damodar Rajanarasimha and state Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana are leaving for the national capital Thursday.

The three leaders will submit their reports to the core committee, which is likely to take their views into consideration before taking a final decision on the issue.

They heard the views of the leaders of all three regions separately before making a roadmap. Party sources said they have explained in their reports the advantages and disadvantages of dividing the state.

They undertook the exercise after party general secretary incharge of state affairs Digvijaya Singh visited the state last week and directed them to prepare a roadmap on the strategy to be adopted by the party and the government if a decision is taken either way.

Leaders from Seemandhra urged both the chief minister and state Congress chief to make a strong case before the leadership for keeping the state united while their counterparts from Telangana underlined the need for the leadership to respect the sentiments of the people of the region with the formation of separate state.

Kiran Kumar Reddy hails from Rayalaseema while Satyanarayana comes from Andhra. Both are believed to be against the state's division. The deputy chief minister, who is for a separate Telangana state, prepared a roadmap after consultations with ministers, MPs and other party leaders from the region.

The leaders from Telangana had organised a public meeting in Hyderabad June 30 to urge the leadership to abide by Dec 9, 2009 statement on Telangana.

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram had announced that the process for formation of Telangana state would be initiated. However, following mass resignations by the MPs and state legislators and protests in Seemandhra, the centre put the process on hold, citing need for a consensus.

As the people keep their fingers crossed, a section of ministers and Congress leaders from Seemandhra have made it clear that state's division would not be acceptable to them.

Samaikya Andhra or united Andhra students' Joint Action Committee has called for a shutdown in Seemandhra Friday to oppose any move to divide the state. A delegation of the JAC leaders is also leaving for Delhi to meet Digvijaya Singh.

Congress leaders opposing state's division met at the residence of Rajya Sabha member K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao in Delhi Thursday to chalk out their future course of action.