For the first time in nearly two years, the AICC top brass is holding focussed consultations with Congress leaders in Andhra Pradesh with what appears to be a sense of purpose to resolve the tangle over Telangana, a region simmering with unrest.
Virtually the entire who's who of the Congress party in the State has been summoned to appear before the Core Committee. The leaders were posed pointed questions and asked to give unambiguous answers on how to deal with the employees' strike, suggest practical solutions to end the stalemate, discuss the party's fate in the next general elections and, finally, express their views on the status of Hyderabad in the event of bifurcation.
It is evident from the nature of these interactions that TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao was not off the mark when he claimed in New Delhi last week that the strike would force the Centre to climb down and address the Telangana issue. This has raised concerns in Seemandhra whether the Congress high command is once again acting under pressure just like it did in December 2009.
Barring the discussions that AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad held with Congress leaders from Andhra and Telangana in September last and Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram's consultations with leaders of all political parties on two occasions, the Congress leadership never conveyed an impression of having collectively applied itself to end the impasse.
Azad's interactions give them a thorough understanding of the gravity of the problem though, sources said, he did not submit a written report. The ground situation has only worsened since then. Now into its 27th day, the general strike has disrupted daily life, nearly crippled the power sector and thrown the annual time-tables of schools and colleges totally out of gear.
Governor's report
Much to the delight of Telangana leaders, this perception was said to have been conveyed by Governor E. S. L. Narasimhan to the Central leaders. Giving an unambiguous assessment of the ground realities, he was reported to have said that the situation arising out of the strike was serious. It warranted immediate political intervention by the Centre and more pro-active measures by the State government to ensure that the agitation did not take a violent turn.
His appraisal differed from that of Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy who, in his briefing to the high command, said that the overall situation remained under control and dwelt upon how the strike was causing loss to the economy and difficulties for the poor. Out of the several leaders with whom the AICC leaders summoned, only S. Jaipal Reddy and C. Damodar Rajanarasimha belong to the Telangana region.
Neither has revealed the nature of his discussions, though Mr. Jaipal Reddy, who was the target of the ire of TNGO's leader Swamy Goud during the latter's visit to Delhi, said he had indeed spoken out his mind.
He could not have failed to reiterate the Telangana Congress leaders' contention that passions had flared up to an extent that they were unable to visit the villages whereas the public reaction in Seemandhra to the recent developments were muted. Also, he would have echoed their view that the Centre must act before it was called upon to tackle law and order dimensions instead of the political ones.
Andhra leaders have, expectedly opposed bifurcation because entrepreneurs from their region had invested heavily in Hyderabad and could not be asked now to re-locate. This raised the question of giving Hyderabad the status of a Union Territory or sharing it as a common capital till Andhra builds its own. The former proposition has been opposed by Telangana leaders across the political spectrum, making options for the Centre that much more difficult.
Senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee indicated that the consultations would end on Monday but declined to indicate a date for making any statement. Whether the Centre ropes in Opposition parties for broader consultations or announce the way forward before the next session of Parliament remains to be seen. What is clear is that AICC leaders may not leave the issue dangling in the air after all their hard work. They may spell out their stand and it may only be a question of timing.
