Desperate party legislators shifting protest to Delhi
For the Congress, now caught up in the 2G imbroglio, a southern crisis is set to shift headquarters to the national capital: as the agitation in Telangana escalated with the entire region coming to a standstill on Saturday, the party's MPs and MLAs decided to move their protest to Delhi to increase the pressure on their national leadership.
All its legislators from the embattled region will be here by September 26, party sources said, adding State Ministers will follow them by September 28. By then, both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, two key members of the Congress Core Group, will be back from the U.S. And on Sunday night, Union Health Minister and party general secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad, who had promised to present a formula on the Telangana issue by month-end, will also be back from a foreign trip.
The Congress legislators from Telangana are desperate: in Delhi, the fact that all of them, barring Petroleum Minister S. Jaipal Reddy, have resigned has marked them out as “rebels, violating party discipline,” they say; back home in their constituencies, they are seen as not having done enough to persuade the national leadership — the fact that their resignations have not been accepted by the Congress leadership makes them suspect in the eyes of the locals, and they are not being allowed to participate in the ongoing protests. Adding to the woes of the legislators is the fact that one of the party's new national spokespersons, Renuka Chowdhury, who in the past represented the Khammam Lok Sabha constituency in the region, at a press conference in Hyderabad earlier this week, pooh-poohed the agitation, saying Andhra Pradesh should not be divided. That created a stir in the State, as it was widely reported, embarrassing the Congress legislators from the region.
Over the last few days, Telangana's Congress representatives have been trying to get in touch with the national leaders: MP Madhu Goud Yaski met Congress general secretary and chairperson of the media department Janardan Dwivedi on Thursday to complain about Ms. Chowdhury, and to request him to ensure that she does not speak on such a sensitive issue at such a critical moment. Mr. Yaski and Gaddam Vivekanand have also been in touch with Defence Minister A.K. Antony, a member of the Congress Core Group.
The Congress central leadership had embarked on a “dialogue” with representatives of the three embattled regions of Andhra Pradesh in July and said that by end-September the salient points that emerged from these negotiations would be given to the Union Home Ministry for action. The Telangana legislators are hoping that that time has now come. The key questions around which the dialogue had centred related to the status of Hyderabad and sharing of river waters.
The only positive action the Congress leadership has taken thus far was in early August, when the Union government took the first step towards assuaging the feelings of the residents of Telangana: it decided to recommend to President Pratibha Patil the repeal of Clause 14 (f) in a 1975 Presidential Order. This is to ensure that Telangana residents get preference in government jobs in Hyderabad and neighbouring areas. But this has clearly not been enough or even been seen as a good beginning — it is a full-blown political crisis now.
Keywords: 2G scam case, Telangana issue, Congress crisis
It's a great marketing effort put by the region's politicians (without power or position) just making people foolish. Were these leaders sleeping until now, r they not supposed to point out the mistakes that they are pointing out have they slept when they were elected previously. It's our foolishness to follow such wrong persons who are selfish. From my personal experience there are areas in other two regions which are more suffering from poverty than in this so called region. So, plz my brothers and sisters of any region "Kalisuntee kaladu sukam" at least remember from early school days learnings and don't believe in the wrong persons words which will be sweet to listen but creates difficulties in future for us only.
Since the same politicians will now govern Telengana no change
can be expected. There will be increase in the number of Mnisters
and Secrataries and new people will be given the permission to
loot the aam admi. By forming a separate Telengana will there be
less corruption? The aam admi will get nothing more and the
Maoists will rule many districts as before. Even Hyderabad may
come under the grip of the Maoists. People have suffered in this
city due to this agitation silently for so long and it is definite that
they will accept the domination by Maoists at a later date.The
lakhs of casual laborers who have gone hungry these days will
definitely be the associates of the Maoists in the days to
come.People are so tired of this disruption that they will be happy
to join any group which will teach these politicians a lesson. After
all there is a limit to the torture they are enduring for the last so
many days. The self-centered leaders of the TJAC are blind to all
these possibilities.
I am glad reader Sridhar finds the obvious that Telangana is treated as a stepchild. But fails to recognize that the struggle is not about Kondaram or KCR's kith and kin. It is about fair treatment of 40 million people. Also the suggesting that the future Telangana state will look like Bihar rule and Lallu is ridiculous. In fact Lallu looks like a holy saint compared to YSR, Jagan, Gali and Company. Wake up and the smell the air. Look at Supreme court's involvement in these cases. Also it is not about majority - yes Seemandhra has majority in current Andhra Assembly- it is about what is right. What people of the region really want. Remember Hitler did enjoy popular support.Did that fact make him right? It may have seemed right to the people living in erstwhile Germany but history for sure does have a different view.
The stir is another contribution of Chidambaram made statement in undue haste
and the result enormous loss to the ex-checker by way of train cancellation and
many of the institutions not been able to work. Congress is a party of ministers who
think seldom for the common man. How does a daily wager live when his means of
earning is crippled like this? What is the CM of Andhra doing, dozing?
rightly said by Mr sridhar.whether Telangana state forms or not it is only the common man who will be the sufferer. Mr Kodanda ram, mr chandra sekhar, mr madhu yashki or mr lagadapati who so ever may be they are all big shots they have vested political intrests in forming or not forming a state.It is not going to change the fate of a common man.where have all this politicans gone during a national agitation on corruption.These wise politicians could have utilised their energy in agitating their parties on burning issues of the poor common mans suffering like inflation, petrol prices, corruption,nepotism and deficient health care facilities.
There is no denying Telangana has been treated as a step child. Instead of fighting for a separate state, the leaders could have fought for water, resources, jobs etc. Why did KCR starting singing the tune of Telangana only after YSR's death. His family and TJAC convenor Mr.Kodandaram are very well off with their children educated and brought up abroad. Do you think they really care about the future of Telangana? Kodandaram is receiving his salary even though be abstained from teaching at his University more than 2 years back. Wake up folks. The leaders who bribe voters will not care about your betterment. In fact we will turn into another Bihar under Lalu. Many of my family members who participate in the T struggle will only be left disappointed as AP is majority controlled by Seema Andhra people. The Cong Govt at the Center does not bother about a T state as is evident from their attitude. Only the common folks, private sector employees and students are suffering.
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