The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : ‘Convincing Sonia only way out’

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 15, 2007
ePaper

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

‘Convincing Sonia only way out’

HYDERABAD: Chairman of Telangana Regional Development Board V. Purshottam Reddy has said that convincing AICC president Sonia Gandhi on the need to take an early decision on separate Statehood was the only solution.

Mr. Reddy, who was reacting to the recent statement of former Minister M. Satyanarayana Rao said that the AICC chief was in know of the aspirations of the people of the region. He also differed with Mr. Satyanarayana Rao’s observation that the Chief Minister was the stumbling block for creation of a separate State. “If Ms. Sonia Gandhi wants to create a separate Telangana, can any one oppose or obstruct it,” he said.

Vijayawada Special Correspondent writes: Senior Congress leader and former Minister M. Satyanarayana Rao said on Wednesday that a delegation of party leaders from Telangana region would call on party president Sonia Gandhi after the current session of Parliament to impress upon her the need to concede the demand for separate Telangana.

Speaking to newspersons on the sidelines of a Children’s Day meeting here, Mr. Rao said he was firm on his earlier remark that Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy was the “stumbling block” to the creation of a separate State for Telangana. But it was also true that it would, indeed, be difficult for a coalition Government like the one being run by the UPA at the Centre to concede the separate State demand. Still, it was necessary to accept the demand in the interests of the party, he said.

Observing that Andhra Pradesh was an important State for the party high command for securing a good number of seats in Lok Sabha, Mr. Rao said that the Chief Minister was trying to impress upon the party high command that the party could do much better than last time in Telangana with the help of rapid development.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail