Telangana Tangle: PM Words Comfort T Cong Leaders

A 11-member delegation, including ministers K Jana Reddy, J Geeta Reddy, D K Aruna, MPs Madhu Yashki, V Hanumanth Rao, K Keshava Rao and G Vivek, and MLC P Sudhakar Reddy, met the Prime Minister Dr. Maanmohan singh on Monday at 12.30 pm. They started telling the PM one by one about their woes pertaining to the separate state demand going on in the state.

Dr. Singh, who was alone, listened patiently but saying nothing. It was Jana Reddy who began to narrate the woes of Congress leaders in Telangana, crushed between the expectations of the people of Telangana and the lack of clarity from the Centre. “Yes, I understand. Yes, I appreciate your feelings. Yes, I agree the demand has existed for long...’’ These were some of the “comforting” words that Telangana ministers, MPs and MLCs got from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during their 40-minute meeting with him on Monday.

Jana Reddy pointed out to the PM that the movement has so far been peaceful but could spin out of control now. He gave statistics of the number of people killed in the separate state agitation in 1969. At this point, the Prime Minister responded: “Yes, Yes. I have been hearing about such a situation.” Geeta Reddy and Aruna chipped in with statements seconding Jana Reddy. Geeta Reddy added that Telangana leaders are unable to face their constituents. When his turn came, Hanumanth Rao said that the Telangana people were only demanding restoration of a state that existed prior to the merger with Andhra and, therefore, the status of Hyderabad could not be the bone of contention.

The Prime Minister pointed out that AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad has given an elaborate report on various issues surrounding the demand for division of Andhra Pradesh and that the core committee of the Congress would examine it in detail. Sudhakar Reddy is understood to have suggested that the Centre could take two steps now -- one immediate and another a long-term one -- to enable the strikers to call of the strike. There was no response to this from the PM.

At this juncture, Kesava Rao butted in to point out that Telangana Congress leaders were first asked to wait till Assembly elections were over in some states and then Azad took his own time to prepare his report. “How many times can we tell people some excuse or the other?” Rao reportedly remarked. To this, the PM responded, “I know it is a long pending demand” and added the rider that the Centre needed to talk to leaders from all other regions too. And, finally, he promised to convey the feelings expressed by the delegation to Sonia Gandhi and other top party leaders. The delegation were then shown out.