Seemandhra, Telangana groups ready for yet another showdown?

The State is going to witness yet another major showdown on Telangana issue? Probably the answer is yes. Speculations are doing rounds in the political circles that the Congress high command is moving pawns to take a decision on the decade-old controversial issue of Telangana. 

Special package theory for Telangana being promoted by a section of Congress leaders is creating commotion among the Telangana leaders even within the Congress party. The theory is making rounds that the Congress high command is contemplating of announcing a special package instead of Telangana state. TRS leaders have bluntly refused the proposal saying that there is no other alternative except Telangana state.  

A virtual rift within the Congress is now witnessed after T Congress leaders held a meeting at Exhibition Grounds a couple of days ago reportedly on the hint from the Central party leadership. Majority of T Congress leaders attended the meeting except one or two MLAs from Hyderabad, giving a room for suspicion of serious steps towards State division. The decision of T Congress leaders to hold massive public meeting at Nizam College grounds on June 30 to give an impression to the party high command that statehood for Telangana is imminent made Seemandhra leaders so attentive on the developments. Sensing the trouble with the proposed meeting at Nizam grounds by Telangana leaders, Ministers from Seemandhra had confabulations to chalk out plan to make a counter. 

Several ministers and leaders from Telangana met Minister for Panchayat Raj K Jana Reddy in his chamber on Friday to discuss about the meeting at Nizam grounds. The T Congress leaders have reportedly deferred to the earlier plan of holding a meeting as Union Minister Jaipal Reddy declined to attend the meeting. Jaipal’s decision sent signals to the T leaders that the Centre is planning to give a package instead of T State.  

Meanwhile, Seemandhra leaders of Congress party have geared up to counter the Telangana leaders’ move to hold a public meeting. Minister Ghanta Srinivasa Rao, a new-convert from erstwhile PRP is apparently taking a lead to raise voice in favour of united Andhra Pradesh. His comments in the Assembly lobby on Friday that “we are observing the Delhi developments and will make a move accordingly.”

He hinted at holding a formal meeting with all the leaders on Saturday at the Club House in the Ministers’ quarters to discuss on the developments towards the division of the State. Later, the ministers from Seemandhra met at Ghanta Srinivasa Rao’s chamber and reportedly decided to drop the meeting in view of nature’s fury in the form of flash floods in Uttarakhand where hundreds of pilgrims from the state had gone missing and several others were killed. The Seemandhra leaders who were present at the meeting include ministers Sailajanath, T G Venkatesh, Yerasu Pratap Reddy and Ahmadullah, former minister Gade Venkata Reddy and several other MLAs. 

Minister T G Venkatesh told media persons after the meeting that the Telangana movement came to the fore only with intentions of power. “We demand for united AP. There are other options for division of the State like second State Reorganisation Commission (SRC) to put an end to the ticklish issue of Telangana.”  He, however, said: ‘We welcome special package for Telangana and ready to extend any kind of support.” Venkatesh, who hails from Rayalaseema, also demanded a similar package to his region. He announced that the meeting of Seemandhra leaders was put off owing to tragedy of flash floods in the north.

Prof Kodandaram, convener of Telangana political JAC on Friday made it clear that the self respect of Telangana people would be protected only with separate statehood for Telangana. “Consequences will be so serious if the Congress party announced packages,” he warned. 

Heat generated among the leaders of Seemandhra and Telangana is subdued temporarily. But based on the Delhi developments, both the groups are on their toes to fight for their causes.

-aks@Sakshipost