Congress to set up panel to brew T

Dec. 14: The division of Andhra Pradesh is just a matter of time. The Centre appears determined to go ahead with the creation of a state of Telangana, but this will be done only through evolving a “consensus”.

Towards this end, the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, told ministers and party legislators on Monday that the Centre would set up a committee to examine the bifurcation issue by hearing out all parties.

The Centre is expected to announce that any decision with regard to bifurcation of the state will be taken only after the committee submits its final report. The appointment of the committee will fulfil the demand of leaders from Andhra and Rayalaseema that they should be heard before any decision is taken on bifurcating the state, sources said.

This was the surest indication that the division of Andhra Pradesh is just a matter of time, that the Centre is determined to create a Telangana state and that this will be done through consensus.

It is likely that the MLAs who have submitted their letters of resignation from the Assembly to the Speaker will relent and withdraw after the committee is announced. These MLAs had been demanding an opportunity to be heard.

The law minister, Mr M. Veerappa Moily, said in New Delhi on Monday that the government would like to address the concerns of people. “We want to take everybody on board.”

Talking to reporters Mr Moily, who is also AICC in-charge for Andhra Pradesh, ruled out imposition of President’s rule in Andhra Pradesh. It is “absolutely foolish” to even think about it.

The developments come as the state will observe the death anniversary of the late Potti Sriramulu on Tuesday. Sriramulu died after fasting for 58 days in 1952, following which the state of Andhra Pradesh was formed, uniting Telangana and coastal Andhra-Rayalaseema areas with the Hyderabad state.

Congress legislators from Coastal Andhra and Rayalseema will observe a day-long fast at the statue of Sriramulu at the Secretariat. They will take out a padayatra from the Potti Sriramulu statue to Raj Bhavan on Thursday to meet the Governor, Mr N.D. Tiwari, and submit a memorandum.

The state government has issued instructions to observe a two-minute silence at 11 am on Monday to mark Sriramulu’s death anniversary. In New Delhi, the Congress core committee could not meet on the Monday evening owing to indisposition of the Congress president, Ms Sonia Gandhi. The core committee is now scheduled to meet on Tuesday and will a decision on formation of the committee to go into all aspects of bifurcation of the state.

Despite that, Ms Gandhi met non-Telangana MPs to pacify them. The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, the finance minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, also met the MPs separately.
During the day, party MPs from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema met Mr Mukherjee, also leader of the Lok Sabha, for a second time in four days seeking a “clarification” on Mr Chidambaram’s statement on initiating the process for Telangana statehood.

“Mr Mukherjee assured us that the resolution has to come from the state Assembly. Till then, there cannot be a discussion on the issue in the Lok Sabha,” Mr K.S. Rao, senior MP from coastal Andhra, told reporters.

He said the MPs explained to Mr Mukherjee that the situation was “very grave” and any delay in taking a decision would cause a “mental divide” in different areas.

The Congress also echoed Mr Mukherjee’s views when it said the Centre would take the next step only after the Assembly passes the resolution for Telangana. Then the party would support it, the AICC spokesman, Mr Shakeel Ahmad, told reporters.

Mr Ahmad said the party “stands by” the Centre’s decision on Telangana and noted it was made when the situation was “alarming” with TRS leader, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s fast entering the 11th day and students planning a ’Chalo Assembly’ march.

Eleven state ministers and 14 MPs from Telangana region thanked Ms Gandhi for her “historic decision.” “We the ministers and MPs from Telangana express our sincere gratitude and thanks for your kind gesture for initiating the process for formation of Telangana state,” they said in a joint letter to the Congress president.