Manmohan Singh holds consultations with colleagues on Telangana issue

With the Justice BN Srikrishna committee set to submit its report on Telangana on Friday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today discussed the sensitive issue with top ministers and senior officials.

The meeting was attended by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, home minister P Chidambaram, defence minister AK Antony and law minister M Veerappa Moily besides senior officials from prime minister's office (PMO), sources said.

The meeting assumes significance as the five-member committee led by Justice Srikrishna is likely to give its report on Friday suggesting 'several options with their pros and cons' on the statehood issue.

Justice Srikrishna, a former Supreme Court judge, has expressed hope the report will bring out a permanent solution to the issue relating to bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

The committee was constituted by the Centre on February 3 to look into the demands for the creation of a separate state as well as keeping Andhra Pradesh united.

Andhra Pradesh government had yesterday announced it would withdraw all cases against pro-Telangana students, who were in the fore-front of a violent agitation earlier this year.

The government move came after Congress MPs from Telangana region went on a fast in support of the students, a move to win back confidence of Telangana people in Congress as K Chandrasekhar Rao-led Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has been trying to hijack the statehood movement.