Ball is in Centre’s court
Kavuri Sambasiva Rao
(Congress MP)
OUR party member Uttam Kumar Reddy (Telangana) agreed to abide by whatever the decision the Centre takes on Telangana. I placed my views before the Centre about the need to have United Andhra Pradesh. Majority of the parties at the meeting favoured consultations with all the stakeholders to resolve the issue. I felt the need for extensive consultations. The participants requested for fixing a time-frame for consultations but Chidambaram said that a decision by the Centre would be announced after discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and by the Union Cabinet. At present, the ball (issue) is in the Central Government’s court.
Need for time-frame
Uttam Kumar Reddy
(Congress MLA)
THE Centre should fix a time-frame for any mechanism in respect of formation Telangana. There is no truth in the reports about involvement of Naxalites or Maoists in the Telangana movement. There is no recruitment by Naxalites in the region and also there will be no change in the Naxalite activities even after formation of Telangana state.
Everything will be the same. The ongoing agitation by the university students is voluntary.
The Central Government should not take a decision against Telangana based on reports (received by it from the State) since they are wrong. Cases filed against agitating Osmania University students have not been withdrawn yet. I condemned parties for making a U-turn on their stand on Telangana after the December 9th statement by the Centre.
I justified the reasons for formation of Telangana state. Today’s meeting is a followup of December 9 statement. Another decision (by the Centre) on the issue will come only after normalcy is restored in the State.
Overall, the voices of Telanganites were stronger at the meeting as compared to integrationists’.
Except for the PRP, CPM and MIM, all other five parties spoke in favour of Telangana.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s response at the meeting indicated that the Telangana state formation process would definitely go ahead.
Talks not fruitful
Yanamala Ramakrishnudu
(Senior TDP leader)
Today’s talks held by the Centre are not at all fruitful.
The Congress could not spell out a single word to resolve the Telangana issue or on the ongoing agitations in the State. The Centre did not state on how to put a full stop to the ongoing agitations.The statements of Chidambaram were the reason for the unrest in the State.
The Congress is in power both in the State and at the Centre. But, it did not make its stand clear on separate Telangana. The attitude of the Home Minister is not correct as he did not make any categorical statement in the meeting. If the Centre wanted to divide the State it should consult people of all the regions. After the Chidambaram’s statement the State was divided vertically.
Now, there are about 500 JACs in the State. If the Centre wanted to establish a mechanism, they should consult all the groups and all the JACs in all the regions of the State. The Centre not clarified whether the mechanism to be established will also cover separate statehood demands in 12 states. The Centre should also consider all such demands. When there is a demand for bifurcating Tamil Nadu, Chidambaram said that such demands should be nipped in the bud. But, he wanted to divide Andhra Pradesh. The State Government should first restore peace in the State. We are not in power, the Congress should ensure better law and order.
No need for further talks
Revuri Prakash Reddy
(TDP MLA)
I demanded that the Centre fix a time-frame to carve out Telangana and straightaway introduce a Bill in Parliament favouring bifurcation of the State. There is no need for further talks and the Congress should honour its commitment.
The TDP is committed to Telangana and there is no deviation from it. Except Madhu Yashki Goud no one in the Congress is sincere about Telangana. Uttam Kumar Reddy is no exception. He did not speak in favour of Telangana at the meeting, He simply said that the Congress would abide by whatever decision it took on Telangana. I told the Union home minister that the Centre should stick to the statement he made on December 9.
Chidambaram tried to corner other Opposition parties, without making his stand clear.
This is objectionable. The Congress did not say whether it was committed to T or not. The Union home minister talked of consensus and road map but I could not understand what purpose they would serve. The home minster failed to answer our specific questions.
Impose Prez rule in State
Asaduddin Owaisi,
(MIM MP)
Andhra Pradesh is heading for a financial emergency.
There is no control on administration. The Centre should impose President’s rule in the State. The MIM will make its stand clear on T, only after the Centre announced its decision.
Consultations should continue for now. As regards the mechanism and roadmap for carrying forward the process of wider discussions with all stake-holders in a structured and timebound manner. Our party requested the Union Government to set up a committee of senior bureaucrats or national leaders to go into the future of Andhra Pradesh. The scopes of the committee shall be confined to Andhra Pradesh only and it shall be given a definite time-frame to give its findings so that a lasting solution can be worked out to the protracted issue to the satisfaction of all stake-holders from the three regions of the State. Our party should be given reasonable time to formulate and forward our opinion on the future of Andhra Pradesh to the high-powered committee. If the Union Government is not ready to form the committee, the Union Home Minister should give us reasonable time to give our opinion on this sensitive issue.
Introduce bill in Parliament
B Dattatreya,
(BJP State president)
My party is committed for Telangana State. The Central Government should introduce a Bill in the Parliament budget session without any further delay. It should also give an assurance to the people who settled in Hyderabad about their safety. “We totally oppose the second SRC for carving out Telangana State. I am here with submitting the BJP national committee’s resolution. I am also furnishing various documents, which thoroughly expose the injustice done to Telangana and the reasons for the backwardness of the region. ”
What is the criterion, Mr Home Minister?
Chiranjeevi,
(PRP)
WE are thankful to you for your invitation to this meeting. The agitations in the State have caused loss of millions of manhours.
They have also adversely affected the lives of crores of people.
State’s industrial development has come to a halt. It has adversely affected the potentiality of employment. Students are unable to continue their academic activity. There is a danger of losing the academic year. Mr Home Minister, your statement without consultations opened a Pandora’s Box and caused a rift among Telugu people who had been living in harmony till then. We have discussed this with our party cadre extensively and adopted a stand to support United State. Our party wants to know the criterion for creating new states _ backwardness of a region, demands of a community or demands of a political party. If backwardness of a region is the criterion you have to create 1,000 States. If the demand of a political party is considered you need to create 3,000 States.
Backwardness of a region can be eradicated with comprehensive planning, using resources meaningfully and by giving funds.
Honour T-commitment
K Narayana,
(CPI State Secretary)
THE Centre should honour its statement of Dec 9 and expedite the process of formation of Telangana State. I presented the resolution passed by the CPI seeking separate Telangana.
Telangana region is very backward and a lot of injustice has been done to the region in all these years due to the policies of the State and Central Governments. Both the governments have failed to implement the rights enshrined in the constitution including 610 GO.
CPI is also opposing the formation of a second States Reorganisation Committee (SRC).
Constituting a second SRC is nothing but opening a Pandora’s Box. If the Centre links the Telangana statehood demand with similar demands in other States, it will only lead to a delay in the decision on Telangana.
All the parties should play a constructive role to find a proper amicable solution to Telangana issue. Congress is the ruling party in the State and at the Centre, and should come out first with a clearcut stand on Telangana. CPI will help the democratic process to carve out Telangana. The Centre should take necessary steps to finalise a mechanism and roadmap for the formation of Telangana.
End the impasse through talks
BV Raghavulu,
(CPM State secretary)
The Centre should end the present impasse in the State through consultations.
The Central Government should find an amicable solution for the T-issue by respecting the feelings of the people of all regions in the state. The Congress is responsible for the present turmoil in the State. The Congress is the culprit and it should only find a solution to this. The CPM is committed to the philosophy of linguistic states. We are not ready to oppose and support Telangana state. I feel that Telangana demand came to the fore due to the misrule and misdeeds of the successive Central and State governments. At this critical juncture, the Centre is asking the opinions of the Opposition parties to overcome their internal political crisis.
–Agencies