The Telengana imbroglio will be on the table when the top leadership of the Congress gathers here on Friday to discuss the report submitted last Saturday to party president Sonia Gandhi by party general secretary Digvijay Singh, who is now in charge of the State.
Mr Singh’s report, party sources say, details the current political situation in Andhra Pradesh and lists the opinions expressed by leaders of different regions on the Telangana issue.
He has also apparently made his own observations on the possible political fallout of granting – or not granting -- statehood for the region.
The report, apparently, talks about the impact of the exit of senior leader K. Keshava Rao and two Lok Sabha MPs – G. Vivek and Manda Jagannatham -- from the party to join the TRS, and contains the names of those leaders, from both Telangana and Seemandhra, who might quit the party and its likely impact, depending on whether the Congress eventually decides in favour or against the formation of Telangana.
The report, party sources say, without actually recommending a separate State, loads its arguments in favour of it.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarsimha, PCC chief Botcha Satyanarayana are also expected to present their points of view to the party’s top brass. Former party general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad, who had been in charge of the State, will also participate in the discussions.
The fact that Mr Reddy represents the Rayalseema region, Mr. Narasimha Telangana and Mr. Satyanarayana Andhra, is likely to colour what they say, party sources said: of the three, only Mr. Narasimha will pitch for a separate State of Telangana. Mr Reddy is expected to argue for a united State and a special financial package for Telangana, stressing that the recent “Chalo Assembly” march on June 14 and the Telangana bandh called by the Telangana Rashtra Samiti the following day were flops.
Party sources say he has told senior leaders that the Congress will get over 160 Assembly seats under his leadership in the next elections if the State remains undivided.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, amid speculation that a Rayal-Telangana involving two districts of Rayalseema region along with Telangana region could be carved out of Andhra Pradesh, members of the Joint Action Committee of Rayalseema met Mr. Singh to express their reservations. On Monday, Mr. Singh who met senior leaders from the State on his recent visit there, had said that the timing of the decision would depend on the preparedness of the three State leaders -- the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister and the State Congress president – who would present their case before the party’s top brass.
“When they get ready and Sonia Gandhi has time, they will appear before the Core Committee and a decision would be taken soon,” he said.
