Consensus eludes GoM on Telengana

NEW DELHI: The Group of Ministers headed by Pranab Mukherjee, which looked into the political feasibility of creating a separate Telengana state, has found no consensus among the UPA-Left allies for supporting the demand of the Telengana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

As per the Common Minimum Programme of the ruling establishment, endorsed by the TRS, a consensus among the UPA and Left combine is a must for giving a green signal for granting statehood for the Telengana region.

Even though TRS leader and Union minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, smarting under the crippling rout his party received in the recent civic polls in the state, on Sunday vowed before his party men to stay put in New Delhi, till the Centre okayed the creation of the Telengana state.

It is learnt that Mr Rao was told by a senior member of the GoM before the civic polls itself about the lack
of consensus for his party’s demand among the ruling coalition.

According to sources, the GoM has completed its interactions with various political parties to elicit their viewson the demand for creating the Telengana state. During their presentations before the GoM, many UPA partners had expressed their reservations for the TRS demand.

While the Congress, the alliance partner of the TRS in the state, linked the issue to the emergence of a political consensus, the CPM and CPI, crucial crutches of the UPA regime, have expressed their opposition to divide Andhra Pradesh.

TDP, a long-standing opponent of the Telengana plank, and also the Samajwadi Party, which is opposed to the demand for creating a separate state — Haripradesh — by bifurcating UP, have opposed the creation of the Telengana state.

There are indications that the NCP has supported the TRS demand, which is seen in the light of Mr Sharad Pawar’s party’s “support” for the separate Vidarbha statehood demand in Maharashtra.

With no consensus among the ruling front, the GoM is now expected to formally close its exercise. The development could put TRS in a catch 22 situation as it comes at a time, when the party has lost its political base in the Telengana region and thus the bargaining power at the Centre.

Last week’s civic polls saw TRS bases crumbling in the Telengana region. While its alliance partner Congress managed to hold on to its areas, the opposition TDP made a presentable electoral recovery in the Telengana region.

Incidentally, while all the political parties opposed to the Telengana state — the Congress, TDP, CPM and CPI — gained in the civic polls, the defeat of the TRS is being described as the demonstration of the fast eroding public support for its plank . The BJP, which had of late supported the Telengana statehood demand, has also failed to put up an impressive show.

The lack on consensus in the GoM court, could prompt the Centre to lob back the Telengana issue to the state where the Congress chief minister, YS Rajashekhara Reddy has been making no secret of his government’s lack of enthusiasm for the TRS plank.

“As far as the state government is concerned, the Congress-TRS alliance has never committed on the separate state. All that was stated in the joint Assembly election manifesto of the Congress and TRS was a promise to set up a second state re-organisation commission to examine the demand. We will look into that as and when it is required”, said a senior Congress leader.

With his party facing internal revolts and loss of popular base, the TRS chief has been seeking the help of Ms Sonia Gandhi to get a forward movement on the Telengana issue. With the TRS facing further political isolation in its own areas, Mr Rao may now find the issue really too hot to handle.