Telangana: Cong meet to discuss future parleys

Senior Congress leaders met on Saturday to chalk out the next course of the consultation process on the ticklish issue of forming a separate Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh.

Senior Congress leaders met on Saturday to chalk out the next course of the consultation process on the ticklish issue of forming a separate Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh.

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After the core committee met on Friday evening, three Union ministers - Pranab Mukherjee, AK Antony and Ghulam Nabi Azad - along with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel met on Saturday to hold further parleys.

Azad is the Congress leader in-charge of Andhra Pradesh. The party has entrusted the responsibility of handling the issue on these three leaders.

After the meeting, Mukherjee said that there would be further consultations on the issue. "We need to have further consultations and time to address Telangana. We are fully aware of the gravity of the situation and agitation," Mukherjee said after the meeting.

The UPA is facing a renewed push and pull from different political parties. The CPM that is ideologically opposed to the formation of Telangana wants the UPA to quickly settle the issue.

On the other hand, the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti (TRS) wants to meet key central ministers to push for settlement of the dispute in favour of Telangana.

Meanwhile, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat wrote to PM. He argued as all political parties and various sections of society in Andhra Pradesh had already submitted their views to the Sri Krishna Committee there is no need for further consultations with political parties.