The Congress leadership has asked Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, his deputy C. Damodar Rajanarsimha and APCC president Botcha Satyanarayana to draft two distinct roadmaps for the party in the event of the high commend exercising either one of the two options –bifurcation or unity.
The roadmaps should incorporate the political strategy of the Congress if Telangana State was created and if status quo was maintained. “Wider consultations have been held on Telangana with political parties and elected representatives. A final decision has to be taken now,” AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh told reporters here on Monday after participating in day-long meetings with party functionaries.
Mr. Digvijay Singh said several deadlines were given in the past for a taking a decision on Telangana and would not like to give any fresh deadline. He asserted that “it has come to the final stage and the Government of India will take a decision soon.” “There are only two options before the party, either keeping the State united or separate Telangana,” he said.
The Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and the AP Congress Committee chief would be invited to the party core committee meeting in this direction along with the general secretary in-charge of the State. Asked to comment on reports that creation of Rayala-Telangana incorporating Kurnool and Anantapur districts was on the Centre’s anvil, he said: “I too have heard the rumour’’.
He said the division of the State was not an easy decision as it involved several sensitive issues which were experienced when Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh.
“Whatever be the decision, it will be in the interests of the State, country and the people of the State,” he said. Though the Congress had promised constitution of second State Reorganisation Commission before the 2004 polls, it was unfortunately not constituted.
Replying to question on the announcement of the then Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on December 9, 2009, on Telangana, he said the process had indeed started and the issue would be referred to the AP Assembly. “Referring the issue to the Assembly is the usual process. But, the resolution passed by the House will not be binding on the UPA Government,” he said.
To another query, he said the Centre was in possession of the report submitted by the Justice Srikrishna Committee and a decision would be taken after a comprehensive view of the report.
