Telangana issue resurfaces to compound Congress' woes

Proceedings in the Andhra Assembly were stalled for the second consecutive day today over the issue

The Telangana issue which has been on the backburner for some time now, looks all set to trouble the Congress led UPA again. While proceedings in the Andhra Assembly were stalled for the second consecutive day today, the Opposition BJP today hit out at the Congress accusing it of “misleading the people on the issue of Telangana". The BJP’s reaction came close on the heels of reports that Congress President Sonia Gandhi had held a meeting to discuss the Telangana problem with senior party leaders in the capital.

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) members have been disrupting proceedings in the Assembly, demanding that a resolution be adopted seeking creation of Telangana state. The TRS alongwith the TDP have also taken exception to Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy's claim that a resolution on the issue would face defeat in the Assembly.

 

Meanwhile, with the rising clamour for a speedy decision on the matter, Congress President Sonia Gandhi met senior Congress leaders including AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad (the Andhra Pradesh incharge) to discuss the matter.

The BJP today hit out at the Congress over its delaying tactics. BJP spokesperson Prakash Javdekar said: “Today we hear that Congress is thinking about creating Telangana. They should take a final call on the issue and not delay it. They should bring a resolution in Parliament, we will support it".  

He said by not taking a final decision on the issue, Congress is betraying the sentiments of people who have fought for a separate Telangana state. "Congress should also support Hyderabad as the new capital of the new state," he asserted.    

Congress MPs from Telangana speaking to Business Standard appeared skeptical over talks that the party high command could agree to the creation of a separate state some time soon. Not just MPs from the state but the creation of Telengana is likely to impact the fate of Union ministers as well. There is speculation that Petroleum minister Jaipal Reddy could be sent to the state to replace the current incumbent chief minister. However sources add, that Reddy himself would only be willing to take up such an offer “if and only if” the Congress resolves the current problem and agrees to setting up a separate state.