The Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) has assured pro-Telangana supporters that their long pending demand for carving a separate state will be met soon.
BJP spokesperson Abhimanyu Sindhu today said his party would surely fulfill the long pending demand of carving a separate state of Telangana as soon as it comes to power.
"We have carved out in the past the state of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand and it is proved that the smaller states have grown well because of the size of the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party believes that soon the NDA Government will be there at the Centre and the dream of Telangana state of the people of Telangana will be achieved very soon," he said.
Meanwhile, Congress leader S Rajaiah has come to the defence of his party, saying the discussions are on and a final decision would be taken soon.
"Today's meeting is going to be the final meeting and most important leaders from AP (Andhra Pradesh) like CM, deputy CM, party president, they are submitting their roadmaps how to carve the Telangana, how to form the Telangana and we are confident that today a final call will be taken," he said.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy met Congress President Sonia Gandhi here on Friday ahead of a crucial meeting of the Congress Core Group this evening to decide on the demands for a separate Telangana state.
The Congress Core Group will meet here later in the day to discuss the Telangana separate statehood issue.
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Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh, who is in-charge for Andhra Pradesh, yesterday said that the Centre has to consult UPA partners and opposition parties, as the decision could require amendments to the Constitution.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and other senior Cabinet ministers and leaders from the ruling party's core group are expected to attend the meeting.
Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde earlier on Wednesday said the consultations on the demand for a separate Telangana were still on and it would take time for arriving at a decision.
"How can I make a comment on the core group's plan? There is a high command which will take a decision," he said, when asked whether a decision was expected from the Congress Core Group.
Congress MPs from Telangana have so far accused the Centre of following what they call a 'one-step-forward-two-backward' approach when it comes to addressing their demand for a separate state.
The Centre's flip-flop over the issue began in December 2009 when the then Home Minister P. Chidambaram promised the formation of a new state only to go back on it after a few days.
The issue was later pushed before a committee headed by Justice B.N. Srikrishna. This panel did not come up with a tangible solution, but instead presented six options.
These included the creation of a Telangana Regional Council within Andhra, bifurcation of the state into Telangana with Hyderabad as the capital and Seemandhra with a new capital; bifurcation of the state into Seemandhra and Telangana after making Hyderabad a Union Territory; bifurcation of the state into Seemandhra and Telangana with enlarged Hyderabad metropolis as a Union Territory; bifurcation of the state into Rayala Telangana and Coastal Andhra; and maintenance of status quo.
