New delhi,January 06:As the meeting of eight Andhra Pradesh parties convened by Home Minister P Chidambaram failed in producing a consensus on Telangana today, the Centre was learnt to be considering setting up a panel to hold consultations with all stakeholders.
The panel, which would buy the Government time to restore normalcy in the state, could be a committee of experts headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court, or a ministerial committee, or a mix of both.
While the stand of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, which has been spearheading the agitation for a separate State was quite obvious, the Bharatiya Janata Party felt there was no need for further discussion and steps should be taken to carve out Telangana.
The parties and their Andhra units largely reiterated their stated positions at today’s meeting. TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao and BJP leader Bandaru Dattatreya asked the Centre to take immediate steps to create Telengana. PRP chief Chiranjeevi said his party was for a united Andhra. Representatives from the Congress and TDP were divided along Telangana and non-Telangana lines. The CPI(M) stressed the need for a peaceful resolution.
TDP’s Revuri Prakash Reddy handed over a letter to Home Minister P. Chidambaram stating that the party never changed its stand on Telangana.
Congress representative K. Samba Siva Rao, who is from Andhra, did not support Telangana, but he said he would abide by the high command’s decision.
Congress representative from Telangana N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said Left-wing extremists were now being kept under check in Telangana.
The Bharatiya Janata Party opposed Mr. Chiranjeevi’s suggestion for formation of a committee to go into the issue.
Praja Rajyam Party president Chiranjeevi highlighted the view in some sections that naxalites have infiltrated the pro-Telangana movement and what is being witnessed in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh