Telangana Congress leaders demand bill for separate state

HYDERABAD - Congress leaders from Telangana Tuesday demanded that a bill be tabled in the upcoming budget session of parliament for forming a Telangana state.

However, the leaders apparently softened their stand on the issue as a meeting of party leaders here refrained from issuing any threat to resign.

The meeting passed a resolution urging the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to table the Telangana bill.

At the much-hyped meeting, Congress leaders were expected to announce their future course of action in view of the recent threat by a section of the leaders to resign and the mounting pressure from people, especially students, to quit.

With the party’s central leadership summoning them to Delhi for talks, the MPs toned down their rhetoric. One of them even said their resignations will only bring down the government but can’t achieve a separate Telangana state.

Only a couple of state ministers and few legislators attended the meeting.

“We are ready for any sacrifice including resignations to achieve Telangana state. There will be no compromise over Telangana,” said MP Madhu Yashki.

Another MP Gutta Sukhender Reddy said the party’s future in the region depends on the Telangana issue.

Ministers K. Jana Reddy and Jupalli Krishna Rao, senior leaders K. Keshava Rao and V. Hanumantha Rao also addressed the meeting.