New Delhi /Hyderabad, September 30:The Congress High Command in a surprise move has entrusted to its main trouble-shooter, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to deal with the contentious Telangana issue.
It might be recalled that it was Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram who handling the T-issue ever since he made a statement in December 2009 about the Central Government preparing a road map for resolving the separate state issue. Till now he had been handling the issue like convening am all-party meeting of the state leaders and also setting up of the Justice Sri Krishna Commission.
The Telangana crisis has escalated during the last few months, especially in the absence of AICC President Sonia Gandhi who was away in USA after undergoing an operation. The on-going Sakala Janula Samme for the past 19 days has come as a last straw to make the High Command realize that all was not well in handling of the T-issue both at the central as well as at the state level.
Mrs. Sonia Gandhi who has returned from the USA recently is learnt to have apprised herself of the “true picture” prevailing in Andhra Pradesh, especially with regard to the impact created by the strike by the government employees. She was also seemed to have been perturbed about the handling of the strike by the employees of the Singareni Collieries resulting in depletion of coal supply which in turn led to a serious power shortage not only in the state but also in the neighboring Karnataka State due to non availability of coal.
Even as the T-Congress leaders including ministers, MPs and MLAs have been camping in the national capital in a now or never attempt to thrash out the issue with the central leaders, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi in a surprising move entrusted to Pranab Mukherjee, her trusted lieutenant and main trouble shooter, to handle the Telangana issue from now onwards.
It is pertinent to note here that the major change of guard to handle the tricky issue has come at a time when the General Secretary in-charge of the AP Congress affairs Gulam Nabi Azad was expected to submit his report to Mrs. Sonia Gandhi about his finding after a series of consultations with the state leaders of all the regions and political parties. Moreover, the Congress Core Committee is also expected to meet some time in the evening wherein the Gulab Nabi Azad report is likely to be discussed.
Thus against this backdrop the move the AICC President to entrust the handling of the Telangana issue to Pranab Mukhjeee is being viewed with importance in political circles here. And significantly the without losing any time the Finance Minister held consultations with the T-Congress leaders who are camping in the national capital.
In the meantime the TRS President Mr. K. Chandrasekhara Rao along with TNGO leaders and lawyers is leaving this evening for Delhi while the TJAC Convenor Prof. Kodandaram will be leaving tomorrow morning, All these leaders are expected to call on the Prime Minister and also the President of India to explain the gravity of the situation in the wake of the general strike and impress them on the need for an early solution to the issue. The Finance Minister is also like to meet the TRS leader and others and apprise himself of the ground realities in the region. The APCC President Mr. Botcha Satyanarayana who is already in New Delhi is also likely to meet Mr. Mukherjee, who might also invite the Chief Minister Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy for talks shortly.
Thus all these fast paced developments in the national capital has given rise to speculations that some announcement to resolve the Telangana issue might be made shortly. (NSS)