The initial euphoria over the imminent formation of a Telangana State appears to be evaporating among Congress leaders from the region.
The Telangana Congress leaders, suspecting that Seemandhra leaders are trying to turn Hyderabad into a stumbling block, have decided to visit Delhi on Sept 22 to meet party chief Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi and the A K Antony panel to request them not to give any concessions to Seemandhra on the status of Hyderabad. They have also resolved to plead with Sonia to expedite the Telangana process so as not to give any scope for Seemandhra leaders to create fresh impediments. The decisions were taken at a broad-based meeting of the Telangana Congress leaders, held under the leadership of former PCC chief D Srinivas and Panchayat Raj Minister K Jana Reddy here Sunday.
Though the venue of their meeting was the Club House in the Ministers’ Quarters - where Union ministers and Congress MPs from Seemandhra had met a day earlier - their mood was in stark contrast to that of their Seemandhra counterparts. There was palpable fear among the 11 ministers, 7 MPs, several MLAs, MLCs and DCC heads from the region who discussed the current political situation thread bare for almost four hours. Deputy CM C Damodara Rajanarasimha was conspicuous by his absence.
Some of the leaders wondered why the party high command was unable to implement the decision to form a Telangana state even 45 days after announcing it. Though Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah appealed to the people not to lose confidence, sources said during the meeting several senior leaders voiced concern over the way their Seemandhra counterparts are exuding confidence that the state will remain intact till 2014 polls. Some others reportedly expressed the fear that the party central leadership might buckle under pressure from Seemandhra leaders if they fail to counter the same. According to sources, D Srinivas, who had met Sonia two days ago, tried to alley their fears, saying that Madam was firm on bifurcating the state much before the 2014 polls.
“Seemandhra Congress leaders are trying to make an issue out of Hyderabad for their selfish political gains. That’s why the state government seems to be extending the limits of HMDA,” Srinivas told his colleagues.