Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has called for a shutdown in Telangana even as Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde assured a decision within one month. TRS was unhappy over the outcome of the all-party meeting on the issue of statehood for Telangana.
Emerging from the all-party meeting in New Delhi Friday, TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao called for the shutdown to protest the central government’s “delaying tactics”.
KCR, as the MP is popularly known, alleged that the Congress was continuing its “drama” over Telangana. “They have said this hundred times during last three years,” he said on union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s statement that a decision would be taken within a month.
“If the Congress party is sincere, it could have taken a decision by today evening,” he added.
The TRS leader termed the all-party meeting a “futile” exercise, saying that the parties only reiterated their old stands.
The TRS has appealed to people of Telangana to voluntarily observe a shutdown Saturday to strongly voice their sentiments.
Congress MPs from Telangana have welcomed the outcome of the all-party meeting on Telangana and said they were confident that the centre would take a favourable decision in carving out a separate state in a month’s time.
The seven MPs, who lobbied strongly with the Congress leadership for the all-party meet, told reporters in New Delhi that Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, during the meeting, spoke in favour of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
They also claimed that barring the YSR Congress party, all parties spoke in favour of a separate Telangana state.
“YSR Congress has shown its true colours,” said Madhu Yaskhi Goud, one of the Congress MPs. He called on the people of Telangana not to allow any YSR party leader to take out any yatra in the region.
The MPs also hailed the decision of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to back the demand for carving out the state of Telangana. They asked TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu not to stall the formation of Telangana state this time.
The MPs advised Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao to withdraw the Telangana shutdown called by him Saturday. They said TRS should not give an opportunity to anti-social elements to create trouble.
The government will take a decision on the issue of carving out a separate Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh in a month, union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said Friday.
“A decision will be taken within a month… we have heard the members of various parties… we have noted their views and will brief the government about it,” Shinde told reporters after an all-party meet on the issue.
Noting that the people of Andhra Pradesh were suffering, the home minister appealed to the youth for calm and said the government was taking a decision.
Representatives of eight political parties attended the meeting, which was also attended by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran kumar Reddy.
“Some will be satisfied and some will not be,” he remarked when asked if the decision would satisfy people of all three regions of the state.
Shinde said this was the last all-party meeting and he was satisfied with it. “The meeting was cordial and every one expressed their views. We have noted (them) down and some of the representatives expressed that the decision should be given as early as possible,” he added.
He declined to reveal the views expressed by the parties, saying it was an in-camera meeting.
Two representatives each of Congress party, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) attended the meeting, which lasted one-and-half hour.
Prominent among those who attended the meet were TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao, TDP’s senior leader Y. Ramakrishnudu and MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi.
A large number of Telangana supporters who had gathered outside North Block raised slogans of ‘Jai Telangana’ when Shinde and the chief minister arrived for the meeting.
Police also arrested a group of Telangana protagonists, including students, for staging a protest, demanding an early decision on the issue.
This was the third all-party meeting. The earlier two, convened in 2010 and 2011 by then union home minister P. Chidambaram, had failed to evolve a consensus.
Chidambaram had announced on Dec 9, 2009 that the process for formation of Telangana state will be initiated.
However, following mass resignations of MPs and state legislators in Andhra and Rayalseema regions, the centre said the process would be initiated after a consensus over the issue.
The demand for separate statehood to Telangana, which comprises 10 districts including Hyderabad, is over four decades old.
The movement was revived by Chandrasekhara Rao by floating TRS in 2000. He went on an indefinite fast in 2009, which finally forced the central government to make a statement.