Parleys in Delhi lead to speculation on T-issue

The UPA government’s efforts to resolve the Telangana issue appears to have moved into top gear as breathless pace of political activity was marked by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s two-day visit to Delhi, during which he held a series of marathon meetings with the UPA bosses.

Amid speculation that a solution to the decades-old tangle was in the offing, the chief minister held consultations with President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

The parleys assume significance in the wake of a growing sense of restiveness in Andhra Pradesh over the delay in taking a decision on the issue.

In what is being termed the “final round” of consultations, the central leadership of the Congress had summoned the chief minister to discuss the political aftermath of a decision on the issue. According to sources, the chief minister stuck to his known position favouring an undivided Andhra Pradesh. He is understood to have briefed the prime minister and the party president on the prevailing law and order situation in the state.
Reddy also met the Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, AICC leaders Ahmad Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Motilal Vora, Digvijay Singh and Vayalar Ravi.The State Congress President B Satyanarayana will be leaving for Delhi on Wednesday. Significantly, Governor E S L Narasimhan has also been asked to be available in the national capital on February 8 for consultations.

 “Going by the pace of the activity, we are expecting a decision before the budget session of the Parliament,” Congress sources said. Senior leaders from the three regions of the state—Telangana, coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema—are expected to be invited to Delhi for consultations.  The Telangana imbroglio had gathered heat towards the end of December when Shinde categorically stated that the Centre would come out with a solution within a month. However, the Centre sought more time to resolve the issue stating that further rounds of consultations with top leaders from the state was required before arriving at a conclusion.

The UPA leadership is said to be finalising a “Telangana Roadmap”, detailing step-wise resolution of the issue. There are speculations that the Centre might announce constitution of an autonomous “Telangana Regional Council”, on the lines of the Darjeeling model, to address the socio-economic issues of the region.