New Delhi, January 05: Andhra Pradesh leaders camping in the national capital for Tuesday’s crucial talks on statehood to Telangana, were seen engaged in hectic political parleys on Monday.
Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhara Rao met CPI general secretary AB Bardhan and hoped to meet Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and possibly leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, to gain support for his demand for Telangana’s creation.
Andhra chief minister K Rosaiah met prime minister Manmohan Singh, home minister P Chidambaram and union law minister M Veerapa Moily, who is also the Congress’ in-charge of party affairs in Andhra. The CM discussed about the ongoing agitations by the pro and anti-Telangana factions.
Sources fear that though the meeting would kickstart “wide ranging consultations” on the issue, as Chidambaram called them, the talks might remain inconclusive for lack of consensus across party lines on the demand for creation of Telangana.
“Tomorrow’s meeting is only the first phase of discussions. There are likely to be several more rounds to factor in the popular sentiment and issues like law and order,” a senior Congress leader said.
However, for the home minister and the Andhra CM, the challenge would be to contain the immediate aftermath of Tuesday’s deliberations.
With political leaders from Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions opposed to the state’s division, the Centre may have to face the music for favouring statehood to Telangana. The Centre also fears a backlash in case it upsets the Telangana leaders agitating for the statehood.
–Agencies–