Hyderabad, January 01: Maintaining that AICC President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi had never ”conceded Telangana”, senior Congress leader and Andhra Pradesh Endowments Minister Gade Venkata Reddy today favoured constitution of Second States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) to address the concerns of various stakeholders.
Addressing a press conference here, he said in the alternative, Experts Committee comprising eminent jurists should be constituted to look into all issues relating to Telangana with suspicion and mistrust running high in the state in different regions.
”Politicisation of the issue will not help resolve the issue”, he said, adding the party had originally advocated for constitution of second the SRC. Union Home Miniser P Chidambaram’s statement on December 9 triggered widespread protests in the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, while the December 23 statement had led to widespread unrest in the Telangana region, he said, adding Mr Chidambaram had only called for a meeting of eight recognised political parties on January 5 and had not articulated Congress party’s stand. ”Let us see, what happens in the meeting,” he added.
The Congress, in its manifestoes in 2004 and 2009, had not conceded Telangana and the UPA Government had only promised earlier to consider the demand at an ”appropriate time after due consultations and consensus,” he claimed.
Asked about the Congress’ stand, he said in the present situation the opinions in the state Congress was totally divided on regional lines and so was the case with other major parties. ”I am staunch integrationist,” he added.
Referring to late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy on the floor of the House on February 12, he said though the ruling Congress had no objection to formation of Telangana state in principle, there were many issues to be resolved as serious concerns had been raised by stakeholders. The veteran Congress leader recalled when Andhra Pradesh was created in 1956 it was preceded by adoption of resolution by two-third majority both in the Legislative Assemblies in Andhra state and Hyderabad state and a gentlemen agreement among the leaders of the three regions after a lot of negotiations.
He felt that formation of any new state would lead to more such demands all over the country, which was not in the ”national interest”. He recalled how 592 princely states were merged with Indian Union and when Hyderabad, Junagadh and Kashmir refused to toe the line, police action was taken. If Hyderabad state had been allowed to remain independent then what would have happened, he asked.
——Agencies