Hectic efforts by Centre to resolve Telangana issue

With the Telangana region on the boil, the Centre and the Congress party were tonight involved in hectic efforts to defuse the crisis triggered by TRS Chief K Chandrasekhara Rao's fast-unto-death protest to carve a separate state out of Andhra Pradesh.

With the Telangana region on the boil, the Centre and the Congress party were tonight involved in hectic efforts to defuse the crisis triggered by TRS Chief K Chandrasekhara Rao's fast-unto-death protest to carve a separate state out of Andhra Pradesh.

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh chaired two rounds of discussions of the Congress Core Group with Sonia Gandhi and
senior ministers in which various proposals were understood to have been deliberated upon.

Shortly afater the secaond meeting, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Defence Minister A K Antony and Law and Justice
Minister Veerappa Moily rushed to Gandhi's residence where AP Chief Minister K Rosaiah was slated to meet the Congress
president.

Rosaiah told reporters in Delhi that it was for the Centre to take a decision-- whether amalgamation or bifurcation
--factoring in all issues.

With the fast entering 11th day, 55-year-old Chandrasekhara Rao's health developed protein malfunction
after he refused even intravenous fluids. But in the afternoon doctors said there was a "marginal improvement" in his
condition after he agreed to have intravenous fluids and to be put on saline drips.

Tension mounted in the state capital and Telangana region ahead of the "march to Hyderabad" which resembled a fortress as addtional police forces were deployed and hundreds of activists were rounded up to prevent any protests.