Cong Telangana MPs hint at quitting over statehood issue

HYDERABAD: Congress MPs from Telangana today dropped enough hints that they would quit the party if it did not honour its word on granting statehood for the region.

For the record, however, they said they would wait for the Centre's decision on the issue till January 28 even as they were highly critical of AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad's statement that any decision would not be taken in haste.

"Azad's comments amount to betraying the people of Telangana once again. We can convince people once or twice (on the delay in coming out with a decision). The Congress' prestige will only diminish further if the Centre drags its feet," MP Manda Jagannatham remarked.

The MPs met at Manda's residence here to discuss the current situation in wake of the Centre's "deadline" and Azad's definition of it.

"Whether we join any other party is not the question now. We will not hesitate to quit Congress if it took a decision against creation of Telangana state. We will take some harsh decisions," MPs Gutta Sukhender Reddy and G Vivekananda said.

Talk is strong in Congress circles here that party MPs Manda Jagannatham, Gutta Sukhender Reddy, S Rajaiah and G Vivekananda will leave the party and join the TRS.

Another MP Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, along with his MLA-brother Venkat Reddy, will also follow suit.

Giving credence to the talk, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy met TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao at the latter's residence this morning and discussed ways to carry forward the struggle for Telangana state in wake of the Centre's flip-flops on the issue.

Venkat Reddy had been openly criticising the Congress leadership over the statehood issue for sometime now.