Even as near-total bandh for creation of separate state of Telangana has hit normal life and over a 100 MLAs, MPs from different political parties have tendered their resignations, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday said the consultation process was still continuing.
Ruling out imposition of President’s rule in Andhra Pradesh, the Home Minister said: ``The status as of today is consultation process is still continuing. No decision has been taken yet. We are not thinking of President's Rule. We hope that the process of consultations will show us the path to reach a conclusion.’’
Mr. Chidambaram was replying to questions of journalists at a press conference here after releasing Home Ministry’s monthly report card for June.
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Expressing his unhappiness over resignations of MPs and MLAs from Telangana region, including those from the Congress, he said the Centre would engage them in talks. He pointed out that the Congress general Secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh was already having discussions with party MLAs and MPs.
Admitting that there was an apprehension that law and order problems could arise due to the bandh in the State, he said the Centre has provided Central armed police forces to Andhra Pradesh to deal with the situation. ``But I hope there will not be a breakdown of law and order,’’ he added.
He told journalists that Andhra Pradesh Direction General of Police Dinesh Reddy, who had recently taken over and was in the Capital for a meeting of the police chiefs of States hit by Left Wing extremism, had made a courtesy call on him.
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While stressing that the Centre understood the provocation for an agitation, Mr. Chidambaram appealed to everyone and expressed the hope that even those who participate in agitation would not take it on a path that would lead to a breakdown of law and order.