Union Petroleum Minister and senior Congress leader from Andhra Pradesh's Telangana region S. Jaipal Reddy met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday to press for the creation of a separate State.
Informed sources said that in the course of the 40-minute meeting, Mr. Reddy told Dr. Singh about the prevailing situation across Telangana, including Hyderabad, stressing that the gap between the two regions of the State had widened so much that it would be difficult to bridge it.
Mr. Reddy underscored that the sentiment for a separate State was so strong in Telangana that the only option left for the Centre was to accede to the demand, including making Hyderabad the capital of the new State, these sources added. It was not merely a question of MPs and MLAs who resigned — it was now a question of the people of Telangana, he said.
Mr. Reddy, being the senior-most leader from Telangana and only Cabinet Minister from the region, with whom all leaders from the area have been in regular touch, his meeting with the Prime Minister assumes significance.
It comes in the wake of growing pressure on him from his constituents to quit the Cabinet in solidarity with his other colleagues from Telangana — and also days before an impending Cabinet reshuffle at the Centre.
Speaking to journalists, Mr. Reddy said he had given his assessment of and views on the issue to the Prime Minister. “This is between me and my Prime Minister,” he said adding, “I have expressed my views clearly and unambiguously. However, as a Cabinet Minister, I will not be able to disclose what I said to the Prime Minister.” He said everybody was worried about the Telangana situation. In reply to a question, he said: “I did not discuss the question of President's rule at all, only conveyed my assessment of the situation.”
The demand for a separate Telangana has gained momentum after over 100 MLAs and 15 MPs, representing all parties, submitted their resignations to their presiding officers, creating a difficult situation, particularly for the Congress, which is in power in Andhra Pradesh as well as in Delhi.
Responding to questions on what she intended to do with the resignations of 13 Lok Sabha MPs from Telangana, Speaker Meira Kumar said on Friday that she would take a decision before the beginning of the monsoon session of Parliament on August 1. “It is sad to receive so many resignations. These are [currently] under my examination,” she said.
Meanwhile, Congress general secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said the talks with the Congress legislators on the Telangana issue would continue. “The talks have not been closed,” he told journalists in Srinagar, adding that two rounds of talks with the legislators had already been held.
Simultaneously, A.P. Congress MPs' forum convener Ponnam Prabhakar, representing Karimnagar, rejected the call of the Telangana Joint Action Committee, consisting of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and BJP leaders, for a joint struggle on the statehood issue.
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