Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader KT Rama Rao on Tuesday welcomed the UPA’s decision to unanimously endorses a separate state of Telangana, but added that the Centre must come forward and announce a date as well as to when a bill will be introduced in the Parliament and when it will be passed. “If it is Telangana that we have been demanding for –Telangana with 10 districts and with Hyderabad as a capital. If the UPA has decided for that, we will definitely welcome it,” said Rama Rao. “But at the same time, we are cautious and circumspect only because we have been through this before,” he added. The TRS leader further said his party wants the UPA Government to honour its commitment to the people of Telangana. “We want the UPA Government to come forward and announce a date as to when a bill will be introduced in the Parliament and when it will be passed. Until that happens, our celebrations will not be visible,” he added. Meanwhile, celebrations have begun at the TRS office in Hyderabad. Scores of party workers and supporters have gathered outside the TRS office and are distributing sweets and raising slogans of ‘Jai Telangana’ to express their happiness. A meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) to discuss the separate statehood issue has also come to an end and is said to have unanimously passed a resolution for creation of a separate state. The Union Cabinet is likely to meet on Thursday to take a final call on Telangana formation. The Congress High Command is said to be inclined towards bifurcating Andhra Pradesh notwithstanding the opposition from within the party and its state leadership. Congress President Sonia Gandhi earlier today met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh at his residence after she held a meeting with senior party leaders, including Sushil Kumar Shinde, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Digvijay Singh and Ahmed Patel. Congress leaders from Andhra Pradesh, who are against the bifurcation of the state, earlier met Digvijay Singh, who is the in-charge of party’s affairs in Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is opposition to the creation of a separate state of Telangana, earlier in the day termed reports of his resignation to be rumors. Reddy, who has reportedly been persuaded not to resign in protest against his party’s decision, met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in the national capital. According to reports, Hyderabad is likely to be a Union Territory for five years and will act as joint capital of the two states to be created out of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. The Union Territory will be administered by a Lieutenant Governor. The Governor of Telangana state will be the ex-officio Lieutenant Governor of Hyderabad for these five years. Congress MPs from Telangana have accused the Centre of following what they call a ‘one-step-forward-two-backward’ approach when it comes to addressing their demand for a separate state. The Centre’s flip-flop over the issue began in December 2009 when the then Home Minister P. Chidambaram promised the formation of a new state only to go back on it after a few days. The issue was later pushed before a committee headed by Justice B.N. Srikrishna. This panel did not come up with a tangible solution, but instead presented six options. These included the creation of a Telangana Regional Council within Andhra, bifurcation of the state into Telangana with Hyderabad as the capital and Seemandhra with a new capital; bifurcation of the state into Seemandhra and Telangana after making Hyderabad a Union Territory; bifurcation of the state into Seemandhra and Telangana with enlarged Hyderabad metropolis as a Union Territory; bifurcation of the state into Rayala Telangana and Coastal Andhra; and maintenance of status quo. (ANI)
