A day after he declared that the process of forming a separate state of Telangana would be initiated, Union home minister P Chidambaram told the Rajya Sabha that he had spoken to TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao this morning and invited him to New Delhi to discuss the next step.
As the Centre?s initiative on Telangana hinged on ?political consensus?, protests by MLAs and MPs from other regions in the state threatened to stall the proposed move to pass a resolution in the state Assembly.
Concerned about dissension in the party, Congress president Sonia Gandhi convened a meeting of the party?s Andhra MPs and assured them that their interests would be protected.
In Lok Sabha, while congratulating the government for intervening in the Andhra situation, leader of Opposition LK Advani said it was constitutionally ?not necessary? to get an Assembly resolution. ?But a lot many things have to be done. By when will they be done?? asked Advani.
Congress sources said that the party?s ?gambit? of going a step forward to move a resolution in the Assembly hinged on the approach of other political parties. The sources said the Core Group that had met twice on Wednesday had decided to initiate the process given the ?ostensible consensus? shown by all political parties while expressing concern about Rao?s health and urging the Centre to intervene.
Given that all parties, except the CPI(M), supported the demand for a separate state, the Congress could ill afford to be seen as dilly-dallying while Rao?s health deteriorated. But sources said that the core group was also of the view that moving an Assembly resolution would force other parties to take a clear stand in the Assembly. The unease in the TDP camp today validated the Core Group?s assessment.
Asked about the Congress? view on similar demands for statehood, spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, ?The decision has no similarity or equivalence and is in no way related to decisions in respect of other states, regions in India.?