Despite Congress asking its loyalists in Telangana to back Pranab Mukherjee for the Presidential elections, party men deeply aggrieved by the former Finance Minister’s uncompromising negotiation style during Telangana talks appeared in no mood to back him.
Congress leaders admit Pranab Mukherjee’s hard stance during negotiations has made him unpopular amongst Telangana leaders and the justification that he was acting on behalf of the party and the government during the negotiation has been flatly rejected by the emotionally charged Telangana members, who accuse the UPA Presidential candidate of being “rude” to them during the negotiations for a separate state.
To avoid the possible crisis, top Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Vayalar Ravi, Veerappa Moily and A K Antony have been asked to remain in touch with the voting block from Andra Pradesh and monitor the situation.
The leaders are confident of winning them over eventually. [Deccan Herald]