Decision on Telangana statehood demand deferred yet again

NEW DELHI: The Congress-led UPA has once again delayed a decision on the contentious Telangana statehood issue with the party and the government saying on Sunday that a “little more time” is needed to arrive at a final conclusion.

Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had set one-month deadline for the final decision on Telangana on December 28 after an inconclusive all-party meeting on the issue.

However, on Sunday he made another brief statement indicating the government was in no mood to take a call. “It may take a little more time to reach a final decision,” he said.

Congress general secretary incharge of Andhra Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad also spoke on similar lines saying “further consultations” with leaders from Andhra Pradesh are required.

“We need some more consultations with senior leaders of the state’s all three regions and for that we shall have to invite them here,” he said. “We are also going to invite the chief minister and PCC chief for further consultations,” he said.

When asked whether there is any deadline for the meeting Azad said, “There is no deadline, but we will invite them as early as possible.” The statement is likely to cost the Congress, which is vertically split along regional lines in Andhra Pradesh over the statehood issue. Its members of Parliament from the region are threatening to walk out of the party.

Sources said MPs Manda Jagannatham, Gutta Sukhender Reddy, S Rajaiah, G Vivekananda and Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy are likely to join TRS. This follows TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao’s call to Congressmen from Telangana to join his party.