By: Venkat Parsa
The Congress on Wednesday declared that the decision on Telangana will be a stand-alone one. The decision on Telangana cannot be linked to other demands for smaller states. Telangana is a burning issue and a solution has to be found soon.
This assumes significance as it marks a departure from the Congress Working Committee (CWC) decision of 2002, which had linked the issue of Telangana with other demands for smaller states. The CWC adopted a resolution stating that the Second States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) should be constituted to consider the pending demands for formation of new States. The then Union Home Minister L K Advani had rejected the demand of the Congress.
All along, the Congress has claimed that it had forged the electoral alliance with Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) led by K Chandrashekhar Rao for the General Election in 2004 on the basis of the promise to set up the Second SRC (State Reorganisation Commission). But now AICC Spokesman Rashid Alvi said that Telangana could not be linked to other states demands.
Rashid Alvi said, “Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has said that he consulted all the political parties from Andhra Pradesh on the issue of Telangana. Shinde said that within 30 days he would try to find a solution. The Congress supports the stand of Shinde and hope that as soon as the solution is found, it will be made known.”
Alvi also declared that the Congress would abide by the decision to be taken by Shinde. This also assumes significance, as the all-party meeting on Telangana was delayed on the ground that principal political parties, including the Congress, had not taken a stand on Telangana.
At the all-party meeting, the Congress itself spoke in forked-tongue, with each of the two Congress representatives, K R Suresh Reddy and Gade Venka Reddy, speaking on regional lines. Apparently, now the Congress has transferred the burden of taking the decision on Shinde and promised to support whatever stand he takes.
Courtesy: The Hans India