TDP, the main opposition party in Andhra Pradesh, yet to make up its mind on participation.
Making things difficult for the United Progressive Alliance government led by Congress, the separatist Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) decided on Sunday to boycott an all-party meeting convened by the home ministry in New Delhi on Thursday to discuss contents of the justice BN Srikrishna Committee report.
“There is no need for further consultations on the issue. Moreover, we protest the way the government is inviting two representatives of each party. If the government amends the invite and calls only one representative, we don’t mind attending the meeting,” TRS president K Chandrasekhara Rao a.k.a. KCR said.
KCR has dashed off a letter to home minister P Chidambaram registering his protest.
“We were against Srikrishna Committee. The government had made an announcement on December 9, 2009, on creation of Telangana. The committee was formed after that. Still, since the government said they were starting a consultation process, we participated in it, but with protest. The consultation the government wants to have after the report is submitted does not lead the issue to a logical conclusion. We are not in a mood to do all that now, we want nothing less than a separate state,” he said.
BJP is likely to tow the TRS line by keeping off the all-party meeting. “There is no need for a meeting. The committee has submitted its report. The government should go through it and announce a separate state. We want the Centre to stick to its announcement of December 9, 2009. As a leading opposition party at the Centre, we are willing to support any move by the government in creation of a Telangana state,” Andhra BJP president Kishan Reddy said.
Sources, however, said BJP’s central leadership was yet to take a decision on attending the all-party meeting.
The N Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP, the main opposition party in Andhra with about 93 MLAs, was also yet to decide on participation. TDP wants only party presidents to be invited and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s presence at the meeting.
With pressure mounting from all quarters, Congress leaders are feeling the heat. Despite a diktat from the high command to not make any public comments till January 6, MP and Congress working committee (CWC) member K Keshava Rao said they would all quit if the decision went against Telangana.
“We as a party [Congress] in power at the Centre were responsible for announcing the formation of Telangana on December 9. A step backwards [constitution of Srikrishna Committee] killed hundreds of people. I don’t care if I lose my CWC post. It’s time all participants in the Telangana movement keep their identities aside and share a common platform,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Centre has called governor ESL Narasimhan to Delhi. He is likely to play a major role in Andhra’s governance in the days to come, though president’s rule is still in the realm of speculation.
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