Centre invites 8 parties for Telangana meet

The Union government on Wednesday invited leaders of eight recognised political parties in Andhra Pradesh for discussions on the contentious Telangana issue in New Delhi on January 5.

The Union government on Wednesday invited leaders of eight recognised political parties in Andhra Pradesh for discussions on the contentious Telangana issue in New Delhi on January 5.

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Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s invitation comes a week after his assurance that the Centre would begin wide-ranging consultations with all political parties and groups in the state to find an amicable resolution of the issue.

The move is aimed not only at evolving a political consensus on the contentious issue, but also dispelling the impression that the Centre has put the Telangana imbroglio on the backburner following the home minister’s December 23 statement.

The government’s primary intent is to assuage the frayed tempers in the state that has been on the boil since December 9 when Chidambaram announced that the process of forming a separate Telangana state would be initiated.