Hyderabad, July 30: As promised, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has invited the chief ministers of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh to his residence on Aug 2 to find a solution to the Babli dispute.
The Prime Minister’s decision comes after an all-party delegation from Andhra Pradesh headed by chief minister K Rosaiah invited his intervention in the dispute on July 26.
The PM’s Secretariat telephoned up Rosaiah and communicated the invitation on Thursday. Speaking to reporters at Secretariat on Thursday, Rosaiah said he would consult all parties a day ahead of his meeting with his Maharashtra counterpart Ashok Chavan.
He said he would make a convincing case for AP’s interests to the Prime Minister and Chavan.
Rosaiah said the meeting may not have a bearing on the Supreme Court hearings on the Babli issue. The arguments in court and efforts to find a political solution would be independent of what transpires at the meeting in Delhi. He said that he has hopes that a political solution would emerge from the meeting with Chavan.
The chief minister thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for giving environmental clearance for the Polavaram project.
–Agencies