New Delhi, December 09: Concerned over the deteriorating health of TRS chief Chandrasekhara Rao and the situation arising out of the pro-Telangana protests, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday started discussions to resolve the crisis in Andhra Pradesh.
According to reports, PM shortly after arriving from Russia last night, has enquired about the health condition of Rao, who is on an indefinite fast for the past 10 days demanding a separate Telangana state.
Reports also claim that Prime Minister Singh held discussions with the Congress MPs from the Telangana region about the developments taking place in the state.
The informal meeting is said to have taken place in Lok Sabha.
The MPs are also understood to have told the Prime Minister that the situation in Andhra was “serious and urgent steps have to be taken to bring it under control”.
The Prime Minister is also likely to hold discussions with senior Congress leaders and MPs from the region on the issue later today.
Hyderabad on the boil
Andhra Pradesh is on the edge on Wednesday due to the rapidly deteriorating health condition of Chandrashekhara Rao and the massive agitation planned over the issue by the TRS.
The police have literally locked down Greater Hyderabad area – the epicentre of the agitation -over fears of more violence over the boiling statehood issue. The situation is especially tense in the city as the TRS has called for an “Assembly chalo rally” to press for a resolution in the state Assembly for the creation of a separate state.
The Osmania and the Kakatiya universities have also been shutdown for 10 days after students from other regions of Telengana used them as their base while resorting to violence to press for the creation of a separate state.
As a precautionary measure, at least 12,000 policemen have been deployed in the city; prohibitory orders have been put in place since 6pm yesterday.
Also, Section 144 has been imposed in as many as ten districts of the state.
However, all efforts by Congress led state government to restore normalcy and hammer out a compromise with the TRS leader have not yielded just yet.
Today morning as soon as the Assembly convened, the TRS MLAs once again asked Chief Minister K Rosaiah to bring in a resolution for Telengana, especially in view of the falling health of their leader.
But, the CM, it seems to be not inclined to take a call on his own without consulting the party High Command. He only said that it is not the right moment to bring in a resolution.
Incidentally, Rosaiah is likely to visit to New Delhi today to persuade Congress president Sonia Gandhi to announce a separate Telangana instead of resorting to police “repression” against the agitators or allowing “goondas” from Rayalaseema to create disturbances.
–Agencies–