Telangana issue: Andhra leaders meet PM

Stepping up pressure on the Centre on the Telangana issue, leaders from Telangana and non-Telangana regions on Tuesday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other central leaders.

The decision to meet the central leaders comes as the one-month-deadline set by the Centre for a decision on Telangana issue draws near.

Two separate delegations from Telangana and Seemandhra regions met several leaders from the morning, articulating their views on the sensitive issue. However, nothing substantial came out of the meetings, including those with the PM, sources said.

MPs from Seemandhra met Singh in the morning and demanded that the Centre should not take any decision that would affect the unity of Andhra Pradesh, while asking the Government to look at the sixth option (united Andhra Pradesh) recommended by the Justice B N Srikrishna Committee.

While the leaders spoke about what they told the Prime Minister, there seemed to be no assurance from him on their demands. The MPs also met Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, General Secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh, and put forth the same demands.

Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had on December 28 last year said the Centre would announce a decision on Telangana within a month.

A delegation of five Ministers and 18 MLAs from Telangana region met Shinde and categorically told him that nothing short of a separate state would be acceptable for them.

“We asked Shinde to make sure that the Centre sticks to its December 9, 2009 statement in which it announced that steps would be initiated for formation of a separate state,” a member of the delegation said.

The leaders are likely to camp in Delhi for the next few days as part of their strategy to step up pressure. While Andhra leaders want a united state, Telangana leaders want a separate state by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh.

(With inputs from PTI)

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