Telangana Congress meet rejects special package idea

In the wake of the Congress high command contemplating a financial package to Telangana in lieu of statehood, ministers and Congress MPs, MLAs and MLCs from the region unanimously passed a resolution on Friday rejecting any such proposal.
Telangana Congress meet rejects special package idea

In the wake of the Congress high command contemplating a financial package to Telangana in lieu of statehood, ministers and Congress MPs, MLAs and MLCs from the region unanimously passed a resolution on Friday rejecting any such proposal. The resolution demanded statehood for the region.

“Nothing short of statehood will be acceptable to us. We have resolved that a separate state with Hyderabad as capital is the only solution for the T-issue. We request the Centre as well as our high command to move a bill in the ensuing budget session of Parliament in this regard,” the leaders resolved.

As many as 11 ministers, 12 MPs, and several MLAs and MLCs of the ruling party from the Telangana region met at the ministers’ quarters here on Friday to chalk out an action plan on how to exert pressure on Congress leadership for a positive decision on Telangana within 30 days, as promised by Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.

The meeting was held under the leadership of deputy chief minister Damodara Rajanarasimha, panchayat raj minister K Jana Reddy and former PCC chief K Kesava Rao.

During the one-and-a-half-hour meeting, the leaders resolved that they would not accept any sort of package or development council. They also decided to undertake a Delhi visit tentatively on January 10 to meet the AICC top brass in this regard.

It is learnt that during the meeting, former speaker KR Suresh Reddy briefed his peers about the deliberations of the recently held all-party meeting in Delhi. He said that Shinde spoke categorically in support of state bifurcation.

MP Palvai Govardhan Reddy said the Centre was considering the T-issue positively. He briefed the meeting on his recent talks with AICC emissary Vayalar Ravi and said the mood of the high command was favourable for state bifurcation. He predicted a positive decision at the AICC brainstorming session, which will be held from January 18 to 20 in Jaipur.

MP Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy did not agree with the opinion of Palvai that the high command was in favour of T-state. He demanded some tougher decisions so as to exert pressure on the party leadership. He cautioned his peers to be vigilant over the moves of their Seemandhra counterparts who could intensify lobbying against bifurcation.

Soon after the meeting, Jana Reddy left for Delhi to try to meet AICC supremo Sonia Gandhi and handover the resolution copy to her.

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