An eight-party meeting chaired by Home Minister P Chidambaram today on the Telangana turmoil failed to break any fresh ground as parties remained divided on the creation of a separate state.
WHO SAID WHAT!
* Telangana Rastra Samiti (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhar Rao: “We are waiting for the final response.”
* His son, K T Rama Rao: “The meeting was conducted in an orderly fashion. Everyone was given an opportunity to convey his views. We are satisfied”
* Praja Rajyam chief Chiranjeevi: “It is only the beginning of the process. I am satisfied to some extent.”
* BJP state unit chief Bandaru Dattatreya: “UPA and the Congress party should make their stand clear on the Telangana issue. If the Congress wanted a separate Telangana state, it should bring a bill in Parliament in the budget session.”
* Majlis e Ittehad ul Muslimeen (MIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi: “A high-powered committee of senior bureaucrats or national leaders should go into the future of Andhra Pradesh and give its finding within a definite time frame so that a lasting solution can be found out to the satisfaction of all the three regions in the state.”
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At the same time, indications emerged there could be further discussions on the row.
According to an insider, tempers began to fray, specially when Congress members K S Rao, who is vehemently opposing a separate state, and pro-Telangana leader Uttam Kumar Reddy exchanged heated words between them.
However, the situation was brought under control as Chidambaram stepped in. “Why don’t both of you keep quiet for a while?” he suggested.
Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was also represented by two members belonging to two different parts of Andhra Pradesh. Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, a former minister of the coastal Andhra region, frequently interrupted senior MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy of Telangana as he did not support a separate Telangana state. When Reddy wholeheartedly supported Chidambaram on the Centre’s move on Telangana and said there should be no more delay, Ramakrishnudu quickly intervened, “You (Chidambaram) first tell us what is the government’s stand on this issue. You are talking about a mechanism. Is this mechanism exclusively for Telangana or it is applicable to other parts of the country as well where there are demands for separate states?”
Chidambaram told the gathering that the mechanism would be only for discussions on Telanagana.
The Centre is likely to set up a committee — just as it had done in 2004 — to look into the issue. According to top Congress sources, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee may head the committee, which is likely to constitute members from the alliance partners of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) as well.
In his opening statement, Chidambaram raised the spectre of Naxal violence and urged the political parties in Andhra Pradesh to help the central government find a solution. “I urge each of the political parties to show accommodation and goodwill. Ultimately you must find the answers and you must help the central government find a solution.” He said though the agenda for the meeting might appear limited, he was confident that “if we take one step at a time we will find a solution”.
After the meeting, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhar Rao told reporters “we are waiting for the final response”.
Praja Rajyam Party chief Chiranjeevi said he had made clear his party’s stand that it stood for a united Andhra Pradesh. “It is only the beginning of the process,” he said without elaborating.
“We have reached this situation in the Telangana region because of the change of stance in the Congress and the TDP. The Congress is trying to simply adopt a delaying tactics. This won’t work,” he added.
Bandaru Dattatreya, the Andhra Pradesh chief of the BJP, said the UPA and the Congress party should make their stand clear on the Telangana issue. “If the Congress wanted a separate Telangana state, it should bring a Bill in Parliament in the Budget session,” he said.