Fissures in Congress over Telangana issue, MPs to meet Sonia
By IANSThursday, December 10, 2009
NEW DELHI - Upset over the Congress central leadership’s sudden announcement of steps to create a separate Telangana state, some Congress MPs from Andhra Pradesh are to meet party president Sonia Gandhi Thursday.
Anantha Venkatarami Reddy, MP from the Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh, told IANS: “I am going to meet the Congress chief along with other MPs from the state and tender my resignation.”
Reddy said he along with others had met Congress central leaders Wednesday night in New Delhi.
“But they did not hint at all that they are taking a decision to initiate the process of bringing a resolution in the Andhra Pradesh assembly,” he added.
“The high command kept us in dark,” he said.
Following pressure and fearing for the deteriorating condition of Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who had been on a fast-unto-death for the past 11 days, the central government late Wednesday pledged to form a separate Telangana state out of 10 districts of Andhra Pradesh.
Reddy said: “We are people’s voice. We are for an integrated Andhra Pradesh.”
But later Thursday, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi tried to gloss over the differences in the party over the Telangana issue.
“The Congress knows how to deal with problems. We just have to wait. In the natural progression of time, things will settle down. We have indicated that the centre has initiated the process (of the state’s formation) and it is now for the state assembly to take it forward,” Singhvi told reporters.
“As the matter will proceed to the assembly, it will be sorted out,” he added.
“The decision to initiate the process of formation of a separate Telangana state is in accordance with the Common Minimum programme of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) where it has talked of political consensus to meet the demand,” he added.
