Telangana: Congress in a fix as lobbying intensifies

Telangana continues to be a hot political potato for the Congress with leaders from both sides intensifying their lobbying on Tuesday.

Telangana continues to be a hot political potato for the Congress with leaders from both sides intensifying their lobbying on Tuesday.

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A delegation of Seema Andhra ministers met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and demanded that the Centre avoid taking any decision which would jeopardise the unity of the state.

They also asked the Government to consider the sixth option of keeping Andhra Pradesh united, as recommended by the Justice BN Srikrishna Committee.

Singh, however, did not extend any assurance. Meanwhile, a Telangana delegation of five Ministers and over 15 MLAs met Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and firmly emphasized that only a separate state would be acceptable to them.

“We asked the Centre to stick to its December 9, 2009 statement in which it announced that steps would be initiated for formation of a separate state," a legislator said. The debate is attracting non-political players too.

Visalandhra Mahasabha, a consortium of intellectuals for united state, released a book “Refuting an Agitation – 101 Lies and Dubious Arguments of Telangana Separatists,” which it said disproves the claims made by the Telangana lobby.