Cong considers three possible solutions to Telangana

The Congress is mulling over three possible solutions to the vexed Telangana issue and may come up with an announcement after Panchayat elections in the state.

It is learnt that a decision to this effect was taken in the core committee meeting on Friday. Sonia Gandhi spoke to the state congress affairs incharge Ghulam Nabi Azad and Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and former APCC president D Srinivas and heard their opinions on the issue.

Sources say that party seniors are now trying to stitch a solution that would put a stop to agitations and at the same time nullify the impact of the YSR Congress in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema.

The concept of Rayala Telangana was not new. The Congress high command had earlier considered the proposal of separating Hyderabad from the rest of the Telangana region and combine the Telangana districts with Rayalaseema districts of Anantapur and Kurnool to form the Rayala Telangana state. They believe it would reduce the area of operation for the YSR Congress, and solve inter regional water sharing issues.

In case this proposal was not accepted by a majority of the leaders, a special package might be announced for all the Telangana districts and some backward districts of the rest of Andhra Pradesh. It is said that the Centre might announce a package of Rs 25,000 crore for the development of all these backward districts. The package also a includes a chief minister from the  Telangana region.

The third option is off course carving a separate state of Telangana. However, TRS leaders dismissed these proposals as stale.  TRS legislator K Tarakarama Rao said people of the region would not accept an alternative to separate state.