Jaganmohan Reddy meets Sharad Pawar over bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh

MUMBAI: Eyeing to gain support of political parties to stop bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, YSR Congress leader Jaganmohan Reddy today met Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar but failed to secure any concrete assurance about the NCP supremo's backing.

Pawar, whose party had supported the creation of Telangana long back, however, said Jagan's demand for taking state legislature into confidence and amending Article 3 of the Constitution for carving out a separate state were "important issues" and that he would discuss these at a meeting of the party.

"NCP took a decision nine years ago to support the idea of Telangana. Jagan Reddy is aware of our stand. But he has raised two major issues. One, for any decision about the bifurcation of any state, the state legislative assembly has to be taken into confidence.

"His suggestion is that the Centre should not take any decision by bypassing the state legislature. The second issue which he has raised is that Article 3 of the Constitution... time has come to give (it) a second thought," Pawar told reporters after the meeting.

Though the NCP President said he was not in a position to take any decision or views "at this juncture", "those who believe in democracy, definitely they will not just bypass what Reddy has said."

Pawar said he would place the views put forth by Jagan before NCP's Working Committee as the issue of "respecting the state assembly and trying to understand the views of elected representatives need to be given serious thought".

Pawar said Jagan had given him a memorandum through which he had communicated the mood of the people of Andhra Pradesh to keep it united.

The NCP leader said there were no discussions about any political alignments or electoral adjustments during the meeting.