Cracks in JAC, Cong says no one can set deadlines to Centre

Ahead of its January 28 deadline on the statehood issue, cracks have appeared in the Telangana Joint Action Committee with Andhra Pradesh Congress today declaring that no organisation can set "deadlines to elected governments."

"No one can set deadlines to elected governments. Representatives from all regions of the state should sit and try to resolve the issue," APCC chief D Srinivas told reporters after meeting defence minister AK Antony and home minister P Chidambaram.

Several senior Congress leaders are part of the JAC which is spearheading the pro-Telangana agitation in Andhra Pradesh.

The JAC had set a January 28 deadline for the Centre on the Telangana statehood issue. Srinivas said Antony and Chidambaram told him that peace and harmony should prevail in the state.

"They told me that calm should prevail and suicides over Telangana should stop," he said. Meanwhile, Congress MPs from Telangana also made it clear that they will go only by the party High Command's directive and not by the JAC.

"We don't agree with the deadline. No one can set deadlines to the Centre. We have requested the High Command to expedite the process of formation of a separate Telangana state and we prefer to wait," senior MP M Jaganath said.

Congress High Command also said it was satisfied with the reply of Nizambad MP Madhu Goud Yaskhi over the show cause
notice issued to him for "deliberately lowering party's interest".