No movement on Telangana for now

NEW DELHI: The Centre will not move on Telangana soon with the statehood demand mired in deep divisions within political parties and strident regional claims that make any fresh initiative a high risk option given the lack of consensus.

The UPA-2 is clear that tempers on both sides of the Telangana divide need to cool and some common ground will have to emerge before the statehood plea can be taken up. A consensus has to be wide and durable. Senior home officials have spoken of an announcement ahead of the budget session due in february, but this may not mean definite measures.
Political sources said the vocal advocacy of Telangana MPs after the Srikrishna committee presented several options on a “united” as well as “divided” Andhra Pradesh hardened fault lines. Congress MPs from Telangana were driven by competitive politics but cramped the Centre’s hand.

Andhra Pradesh remains politically volatile and passage of a statehood Bill requires a degree of accord in the state assembly that is absent. The lurking danger of the government being destabilized by any adventurous or ill-considered gambit has been enough to make the Congress high command cautious.

The statehood clamour is not seen to be totally unjustified . Telangana is recognized as a valid issue since formation of Andhra but the demand is currently too conflicted for Centre to get down to tackling hurdles like a new capital for the non-Telangana area of Seemandhra or the merits of Hyderabad being a shared legacy.

Congress is also watching how Kiran Reddy shapes up as chief minister and if he can show the leadership needed to restore political discourse. He needs to overcome meagre administrative experience and manage factions while keeping an eye on the threat posed by rebel leader Jaganmohan Reddy who is looking to settle scores with the party.

The ruling party feels Jagan’s threat can be neutralised as his support among MLAs may not be substantial despite 24 state legislators attending his Delhi protest. The number of those who could follow Jagan out of the Congress is reckoned to be much less. Yet, the late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy’s son seeking his father’s crown is a resourceful foe.
The government is not at all sure of what the fallout of accepting Telangana could be.