Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears to have cancelled an appointment given to an all-party delegation from Telangana led by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao due to his reluctance to lend his name to the SC categorisation in the backdrop of crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
On the request of the Telangana government, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had initially gave an appointment to the state delegation to meet the Prime Minister in parliament on Monday.
According to sources close to the Chief Minister, the state government had a detailed note on the SC categorisation issue — including the genesis of the issue — on the request of PMO officials.
A day after sending the note, the sources said PMO officials informed the Chief Minister’s Office that the proposed appointment with Mr Modi was cancelled and a fre-sh date of appointment would be communicated later.
The sources said the PMO officials appear to have advised Mr Modi against the delegation as any assurance by the Prime Minister on the SC categorisation issue may lead to create unnecessary controversy in the poll bound UP, where SCs play a significant role in deciding the winner.
“There is unanimity in Telangana state and Andhra Pradesh on the SC categorisation. But this clarity is lacking in other states, due to various local factors and the caste compositions. Many northern States do not want categorisation or sub-classification of SCs in their states.”
Mr Modi, the source said, may allot time for the all party delegation fr-om Telangana state once the elections in UP are over.
