Cong close to taking call on Telangana

Party likely to announce decision by month end

Supporters of a separate Telangana state may have come closer to getting their wish, as the Congress is finally said to be contemplating acceding to their demand.

Congress leaders, including party President Sonia Gandhi, who met here on Monday had discussed the issue, though a final announcement may be made in the month end closer to the protest march called by the Telangana Joint Action Committee (T-JAC).

The meeting is said to have favoured creation of a “Rayala Telangana”, including two districts of Rayala Seema region -Anantpur and Kurnool.

It considered making Hyderabad a union territory and allowing both Coastal Andhra and Telangana states to have it as capital on the lines of Chandigarh.  

The meeting comes after a letter from 15 Telangana ministers in Andhra Pradesh urging the high command to reconsider their demand for a separate state.

At the back of the Congress leaders’ minds would be the rapid strides made by the YSR Congress at their expense and the threat it may pose if Andhra were to remain united.
Andhra Pradesh is important to Congress for it won 33 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2009 and it was the main reason which catapulted the party to power at the Centre. Telangana region too is key as it has a total of 17 LS seats and 117 Assembly seats.

Congress is also bolstered by indications from Telangana Rashtra Samiti leader K Chandrashekar Rao of a possible merger if his demand for a separate state is fulfilled.
The Monday meeting was attended by senior ministers A K Antony, P Chidambaram, Sushil Shinde, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Vayalar Ravi besides Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel.