The Congress Core Group on Friday vetted and sought a few minor changes to the draft report of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Telangana.
The core group, headed by party chief Sonia Gandhi, met at the residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi and reportedly gave its “political clearance” to the GoM’s recommendations, after suggesting minor changes on contentious issues such as the status of Hyderabad.
Besides Singh and Sonia, the meeting was attended by Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Defence Minister A K Antony, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Sonia’s political secretary Ahmed Patel. Union
Law Minister Kapil Sibal participated in the meeting as a special invitee. He is understood to have given some suggestions on the status of Hyderabad for the 10-year period during which the city would be common capital for both the proposed states, as well as on the possibility of continuing Article 371(D) post-bifurcation. Sources said the core group had also examined suggestions made by the ministerial panel on issues such as retaining Bhadrachalam division in Telangana and announcing an “attractive” package for Seemandhra.
The GoM would now meet on November 27 and finalise the report and submit it to the Union Cabinet, probably on November 28.
Earlier, in the face of intense lobbying by Union ministers from Seemandhra for making Hyderabad a union territory, MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi called on Sonia ahead of the core group meet. At the 20 minute meeting, Owaisi reportedly told her that if any concession was given to Seemandhra on Hyderabad, it would amount to diluting statehood to Telangana and tantamount to an insult to the people of Telangana.
Source: The New Indian Express