Hyderabad, January 19: The Congress high command on Tuesday summoned party MPs from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions for a meeting with Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Delhi on Thursday. Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief D Srinivas sent a brief message to this effect to the MPs.
Devoid of details as the summons was, the MPs were left clueless as to the agenda of the meeting, with almost all of them debating what the party high command was up to. Some of the MPs felt the meeting, being held a few days ahead of the all-party meet on the contentious Telangana issue, may have been intended to gauge their reaction to a possible decision in favour of Telangana.
Sounding optimistic, an MP from coastal Andhra opined, “the party may not have taken a decision on the T issue.
When Pranab Mukherjee asks for our opinion, we will make a strong case to keep Andhra Pradesh united. We will tell him that the Congress will lose both Telangana and Andhra in the event of bifurcation of the State.” “If we get any indication that the party is trying to divide the State, we will register our protest with the Union Minister,” the MP said.
The party’s Telangana MPs, though, offered an altogether different take on the development.
“I have information that the process is on to persuade them (Seemandhra MPs) to agree to the bifurcation of the State,” one of them said.
–Agencies