Telangana issue: Antony panel to visit AP

A high-level Congress panel tasked with looking into grievances arising out of decision on Telangana will visit Andhra Pradesh after Monsoon Session as protests continue in Seemandhra region against bifurcation of the state.

The decision was taken last night after Union Ministers and MPs from Seemandhra region lodged their protest with A K Antony committee over the government announcing its intent to fast forward its move for creation of a separate Telangana. Other members of the Committee are Union Minister Veerappa Moily, AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel. 

Party MP Lagdapati Rajagopal, who was part of the delegation that met the Antony committee last night, said that they requested the panel to visit the state and see the unrest in the Seemandhra region over the decision to create Telangana state. The delegation which also included Union ministers M Pallam Raju, Panabaka Lakshmi, J D Seelam and D Purandeswari also told the committee that an all-party committee should be set up to evolve a consenus on the decision as otherwise Congress alone is getting the blame for the bifurcation of the state, sources said. Rajagopal said that all Seemandhra MPs and ministers made it clear that they are for a united Andhra Pradesh and there is a feeling among people that Congress was deciding for Telangana due to political expediency eyeing electoral gains. 

In the meeting, Seemandhra leaders also expressed their displeasure over Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde's recent statement that a note for initiating the process of carving out Telangana would be presented before the Union Cabinet in the next 20 days.

The MPs said that when the Antony committee is yet to submit its report, such announcements by the government give an impression that the committee is just an alibi while the government moves forward in a pre-determined manner. 

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who yesterday met AICC General Secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh Digvijay Singh and A K Antony, today also called on Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde. In his meeting with members of the Antony committee, Reddy is learnt to have made a strong pitch for united Andhra Pradesh. The Andhra Pradesh chief minister has in the past expressed reservation against bifurcation of the state. Though the Congress central leadership is going ahead with its decision on the separate state of Telangana, a number of issues are contentious. It is learnt that during previous interactions, various suggestions had come up before the committee including trifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into Seemandhra, Telangana and Rayalaseema. 

The sources said that while Union minister Kishore Chandra Deo suggested the trifurcation of the state, party leader Renuka Chowdhary, had in one of the meetings, suggested that the proposed Telangana state should include some areas from Seemandhra regions as they are contiguous and will also ensure that the new state gets a coastline. Control over Hyderabad is also a contentious issue despite the fact that the Congress Working Committee had said that it would remain the joint capital of Andhra Pradesh as also the proposed state of Telangana for 10 years.

The CWC, which met on July 30, passed a resolution requesting the Centre to take steps in accordance with the Constitution to form a separate state of Telangana ... within a definite timeframe. Now, a view is gaining ground that turning Hyderabad into a Union Territory on the lines of Chandigarh and making it the joint capital of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana may be considered by the government.