Telangana Congress leaders at a conclave at the residence of U. Purushottam Reddy, MLA and Chairman of Telangana Development Board, in Hyderabad.

Plan to visit New Delhi on January 28 to extract a commitment from Sonia on statehood issue

---

Leaders get ready to quit posts if favourable response not received

Rahul sees no reason why Telangana could not be carved out

---

— Photo: P. V. SivaKumar

STRATEGY SESSION: Telangana Congress leaders at a conclave at the residence of U. Purushottam Reddy, MLA (second from right) and Chairman of Telangana Development Board, in Hyderabad on Friday. Sarve Satyanarayana, MP, is seen greeting the leaders.

HYDERABAD: Congress leaders from Telangana are said to be in favour of taking a tough stand if they fail to extract a commitment from the party high command on separate Telangana during their proposed visit to New Delhi on January 28.

A dozen leaders, who met at the residence of V. Purshotham Reddy, MLA, here on Friday, reportedly decided to prepare themselves for the eventuality, including resignation from their posts, based on the response of the high command. They met to discuss their strategy in the wake of reports that the leadership had called for restraint in voicing demand for separate Telangana.

They took note of the reported remarks of AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi that the Congress would carve out Bundelkhand State out of Uttar Pradesh. They were said to be of the view that if Bundelkhand State could be created in the absence of any significant separatist movement there, there was no reason why Telangana could not be carved out when it had a long history of struggles.

Briefing reporters later, Siddipet MP Sarve Satyanarayana and MLC K.R. Amos said they were grateful to Mr. Rahul Gandhi for his gesture towards Bundelkhand and expected a similar handling of Telangana issue by the party. They had utmost confidence that AICC president Sonia Gandhi would concede separate Telangana.

Appeal to YSR

They would meet Ms. Gandhi on January 28 to explain the prevailing situation in the region and request her to concede the demand for separate Telangana before the 2009 elections.

Before leaving for New Delhi, they would also appeal to Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy to express solidarity with the Telangana cause.

Right to speak

When their attention was drawn to the Congress high command’s directive to party leaders not to publicly air their views on Telangana, they said they were it was their right to speak as it was a raging issue. There was no bar on talking about Telangana as long as a decision was not taken. Former Minister M. Satyanarayana Rao and MLCs Palvai Goverdhan Reddy, S. Indrasain Reddy, B. Kamalakar Rao and K. Yadava Reddy attended the meeting.

Source : The Hindu.

Deputy CM post issue left to YSR

Pressure mounting on Chief Minister from senior Congress leaders

HYDERABAD: Pressure is mounting on Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy to accede to the demand of accommodating a Deputy Chief Minister in his Cabinet.

Before leaving for New Delhi on Friday, the Chief Minister maintained that this decision had to be taken by the AICC leadership indicating that he had no inclination to creating the post in spite of the demand of a section of the State Congress leadership.

Senior Congress leaders from Telangana have been speaking in favour of the post claiming that such a move will send positive signals to people of the region.

Former CLP leader and Khairatabad MLA P. Janardhan Reddy was among the first to raise the issue.

But, on Saturday AICC general secretary in-charge of AP Digvijay Singh reportedly told the television news channels in New Delhi that the Deputy Chief Minister post was the prerogative of the Chief Minister.

The latest stand is being interpreted by senior Congress leaders as "an indication that the AICC is in favour of creating a Deputy Chief Minister post and a snub to Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy".

Leaders' claim

The AICC has also put a spoke in Dr. Reddy's plans to have mostly fresh faces in the Cabinet by firmly conveying to him that only seniors must be accommodated, they said.

Veteran leaders like G. Venkata Swami, MP, who have trained their guns on the Chief Minister for his handling of the Babli issue of late, have already demanded that the post be given to a BC from Telangana.

Another Congress MP Sarve Satyanarayana too has come up with a similar demand.

Meanwhile, APCC president K. Keshava Rao, speaking at a meeting to discuss the Supreme Court's stay on OBC reservations, went a step ahead, and said the BCs should aspire for higher posts and not merely the Deputy Chief Minister post.

MP supports committee constitution on Telangana

S. Satyanarayana tells TRS chief to join ‘Prajakootami’ led by the Congress

---

SANGAREDDY: Congress Member of Parliament Sarve Satyanarayana on Friday supported constitution of a committee by the government with members of both the Houses in the State to address the separate Telangana issue. However, he felt that he committee should submit its report before elections.

Speaking to reporters at Siddipet, Mr. Satyanarayana, who once fired salvos against Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, said that the committee was proposed to elicit the opinion of the all the stake holders.

Stating that the grand alliance would not be successful in realising Telangana, the Congress leader called up on TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao to join hands with ‘Prajakootami’ led by the Congress party.

Attack condemned

Referring to ransacking of his house by MRPS activists, Mr. Satyanarayana questioned the rationale behind the attack.

The Congress leader said that he would organise Madiga community against MRPS president Manda Krishna for his unholy acts.