The Centre held consultations with top State Government officials in New Delhi on Thursday, primarily to take stock of the fallout on various fronts after it announces a decision either way on the demand for separate Telangana State.
Chief Secretary Minnie Mathew and Director General of Police V. Dinesh Reddy along with the Intelligence wing chief Mahendra Reddy attended a meeting convened by Union Home Secretary R. K. Singh to review the law and order situation in the State.
The meeting was essentially, it is said, to seek inputs on law and order situation and administrative issues in the event of the Centre taking a decision on Telangana, either to consider State bifurcation or formation of a council on the lines of Gorkhaland, ahead of the Congress party’s Chintan Shivir, commencing at Jaipur on Friday.
The Home Secretary, sources said, discussed with the State officials on how to handle the repercussions of the announcement, either in favour of State bifurcation or otherwise and the possible short term and long term implications.
Officials were given to understand that additional para-military forces would be deployed in the State, if needed, to tackle any situation following an announcement by the Centre.
Though sources here tried to play down the visit of Chief Secretary and the DGP that they were pre-scheduled meetings to discuss administrative and internal and coastal security issues respectively, the political circles were abuzz that the meeting of top State officials with Home Department was highly significant.
Telangana protagonists interpreted these meetings as a pointer to the Centre’s inclination to bifurcate the State.
They cited the presence in New Delhi of Secretary, Irrigation (Telangana), Adityanath Das, and Principal Secretary, Energy, M. Sahoo, reportedly to seek their inputs on sharing of water resources, status of irrigation and power projects.
Keen to take a decision on the vexatious State-bifurcation issue before the January 28 deadline announced by the Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, the party high command, sources said, directed the Home Department for an update on the above issues for the deliberations on Andhra Pradesh during the party’s conclave at Jaipur.
That explains the presence of several top officials from the State, sources added.
