As the Congress Working Committee (CWC) gets ready to meet, perhaps within 10 days, to discuss the Telangana issue, united Andhra protagonists have come up with a new idea, it seems, to prevent bifurcation of the state.
Sources said they had advised Delhi that the CWC can stand by the statement, made by the then Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on December 9, 2009, both outside and inside Parliament. The essence of his announcement was that the Centre wants to initiate the process of creating a Telangana state and an appropriate resolution to that effect will be moved in the State Assembly.
This course is being suggested by united Andhra votaries for two reasons. One, it gives an impression that the Congress indeed favours T-state. Two, considering the fact that the T-resolution will never be passed in the State Assembly, it won’t be possible to actually divide the State.
Sources said united Andhra lobbyists had assured the Congress high command that such a position will be a “face-saver” which doesn’t antagonise people on both sides of the divide. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has made it known through media reports that he has proposed more than `one lakh crore financial package to Telangana. There is an opinion among Seemandhra leaders that this proposal is enough to bring about fissures within the T-ranks.
A senior leader, privy to the happenings in Delhi, indicated that the Congress will take such a step which conveys to the people of Telangana that the party/government is serious about creating a T-state. But, without actually altering the ground reality.
Against this backdrop, Speaker Nadendla Manohar called on AICC state affairs incharge Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday fuelling speculation it was only to discuss floor strategy in Assembly.