No firm commitment on Telangana, Centre buys time

vIndianz.com (23 Dec, 2009) — In the middle of demands for the formation of a separate state of Telangana, government on Wednesday determined to play safe on the matter.

“Circumstances in Andhra Pradesh have changed and there is need to hold extensive ranging consultations with all parties on Telangana issue,” says Home Minister P Chidambaram.

“Government of India will take steps to engage all concerned in the process. Meanwhile, peace must be restored in the state,” says Chidambaram.

He in addition made a demand for the abandonment of all agitations in support of the matter and also against it. Earlier, Congress said it was up to the communal understanding of all political parties in the state to come across a resolution.

“It is up to the communal understanding of all political parties in Andhra Pradesh that they locate a solution after discussion,” party spokesman Manish Tewari said.

He said Telangana was not a fresh issue as it is a four decade-old demand and succeeding generation of politicians have grappled with the matter of a separate Telangana.

Asked whether the government was paralyzed on the statehood matter after demonstration broke out in the state, Tewari said the Home Minister and the Finance Minister have previously spoken on the matter of Telangana and have given whatever response the government had to give.

Tewari’s remarks came ahead of a declaration expected to be issued by the government at present to resolve the circumstances in the wake of its previous declaration of a separate Telangana.

Following the government’s declaration, demonstration have broken out in Andhra Pradesh and Congress MPs from coastal and Rayalaseema wrote letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in which they are understood to have said any “dilution” of stand on the separate Telangana state will have “serious repercussions”.

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