The Chandigarh model borrowed from Punjab and Haryana could provide a way out for the Congress which is grappling over the issue of the demand for a separate state of Telangana.
Anil Sharma and Vineeta Pandey l New Delhi
The Chandigarh model borrowed from Punjab and Haryana could provide a way out for the Congress which is grappling over the issue of the demand for a separate state of Telangana.
As its time tested formula of procrastinating on every issue till a decision can be postponed is yielding diminishing returns, the Congress leadership is mulling this option. “But then before it is put in the public domain, they want that all parties should be on board, and this should not turn out to be yet another flawed proposal,” said a party MP.
Andhra Pradesh has a very big stake in the state capital of Hyderabad that is more famous as Cyberabad in the business of information technology, and there is tremendous reluctance to part with this territory that is in the heat of the Telangana region. “But then this geographical contiguity is not a barrier in the implementation of this proposal, because the new state of Telangana would not be an alien territory that would impose restrictions on the movements of others,” the MP added.
With by-elections for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha due this summer, it is evident that the results would not be to the liking of the party. The party is positioning itself in such a way that it does lose much. Because of Congress dragging its feet on Telangana, Lok Sabha saw a lot of disruptions on Monday on the issue of separate statehood.
Leader of opposition Sushma Swaraj sought clarity on the matter and pointed towards leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee to word out government’s efforts, the veteran Congressman expressed reluctance to talk about it.
Swaraj also had sought brief suspension of the Question Hour to discuss the issue of Telangana. She said the discussion would bring forth the efforts made by the government with regard to the creation of the separate state. She added that the BJP was willing to support the government on this.
According to party general secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Congress has concluded discussions among its leaders and now they have to take a call whether an all-party meeting should be called.
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