New Delhi/Hyderabad, December 30: Even as the Justice B N Srikrishna Committee is all set to submit its report on the crucial Telangana issue, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, on Wednesday convened a high-level meeting of his senior Cabinet ministers to review the pros and cons, especially the law and order situation, in Andhra Pradesh in the wake of the committee’s report.
The high-level meeting held at the Prime Minister’s residence was attended by Union Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, the Union Home Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, the Defence Minister, Mr A. K. Antony, and the Union Law Minister, Mr Veerappa Moily, who is also the AICC general secretary in charge of Congress affairs in Andhra Pradesh.
Though the deadline for the five-member Srikrishna Committee to submit its report is December 31, the report is expected to be submitted one day in advance on Thursday as the Union Home Minister, Mr Chidambaram, will be away visiting Arunachal Pradesh on Friday.
According to informed sources, the Prime Minister at the high-level meeting apprised himself of the prevailing situation in Andhra Pradesh from various inputs received from different agencies by the Union Home Ministry and the preparedness of the Kiran Kumar Reddy government to handle the post-Srikrishna Committee report situation in the already volatile State.
Mr Chidambaram is understood to have explained in detail various measures that have already been initiated to face any eventuality and the deployment of additional Central paramilitary forces as sought by the State government.
Meanwhile, just 24 hours left for the curtains to come down on the long drawn suspense over the tricky Telangana issue, a growing sense of uncertainty and anxiety gripped the people of the State amidst mounting speculations in political and official circles about the Srikrishna Committee’s recommendations.
However, one aspect that seemed to have attained significant importance and interest among various sections of the people is about the future status of Hyderabad. Not only people from all the three regions of the State but also from different parts of the country are anxiously awaiting about the findings of the Srikrishna Committee with regard to the status of Hyderabad.
Will Hyderabad be declared as part of Telangana if the State is bifurcated or will it be made a Union Territory? This question has now being debated heatedly in political as well as official circles. It is pertinent to note here that the protagonists of separate Telangana, including from the ruling Congress, have been asserting that Hyderabad is and would continue to be part of Telangana region. At the same time, the Seemandhra agitators have been insisting that if the bifurcation of the State is inevitable, then Hyderabad should be declared as a common capital of the two States and in the alternative it should be a Union territory.
Interestingly, amidst the claims and counter claims over the status of Hyderabad, the denizens of this historic and cosmopolitan city have raised their voice demanding that Hyderabad should be made into a separate State.
Thus, the status of Hyderabad has become a key factor for the Srikrishna Committee, which in fact has appointed an expert panel to make a thorough study and make suggestions. Therefore, the Srikrishna Committee’s recommendation about the status of Hyderabad is keenly and eagerly awaited.
NSS