Hyderabad, February 12: In what is being perceived as a major climbdown from the demand for a united Andhra Pradesh, Guntur MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao said Thursday that Andhras would agree to a separate Telangana State as long as Hyderabad was not a part of it even as Telangana leaders appeared set to stall the Budget session of the Assembly if terms of reference of Srikrishna Committee were not in their favour.
Sambasiva Rao’s statement came as a surprise since none of his colleagues had betrayed any signs of such ‘‘capitulation.’’ Besides, Sambasiva Rao is one of the most vocal supporters of a united State and had spearheaded the united State stir in the Coastal region after Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s Dec 9 statement on Telangana. The Congress MP, however, sounded belligerent, when he said Andhras would not sit quietly by if the Centre decided to hand over Telangana along with Hyderabad on a platter to the Telangana leaders. ‘‘If the Centre resorts to any such misadventure, Andhras will rise as one force against it,’’ he thundered at a meeting in Guntur.
Meanwhile, Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrasekhara Rao on Thursday reiterated his warning that his party would oppose tooth and nail if it became clear that the Srikrishna committee was only intended to buy time. ‘‘Telangana is non-negotiable. We will see how the government would have the Budget passed in the Assembly with the help of Andhra and Rayalaseema MLAs,’’ he dared the beleaguered Rosaiah government.
The Budget session commences on February 15. He said the time limit for the Srikrishna committee should not exceed three months. He wound up his speech stating what the committee should recommend: ‘‘A separate Telangana State.’’ The Telangana joint action committee (JAC) is believed to be evolving a strategy to disrupt the Budget session. After a meeting of the JAC core committee here, its convenor Prof M Kodandaram said: ‘‘Our next phase of agitation will be launched from the Assembly.’’ Echoing the JAC views, Congress leader from Telangana G Venkataswamy said the Srikrishna committee was only meant to keep Telangana on the backburner and that it represented one of several acts of betrayal by the Congress.
Amidst these alarming signals, PCC chief D Srinivas, in a first of a series of meetings with party MLAs and MLCs, reportedly asked them to ensure the passage of the Budget, warning that if not, they would face the risk of President’s rule.
——Agencies