New Delhi/Hyderabad: The ruling Congress party yesterday expressed a divided opinion before the Group of Ministers (GoM) on bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh while four other parties supporting formation of a separate Telangana state made various suggestions.
The GoM heard two leaders of the Congress, representing the Telangana and Seemandhra regions.
While Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha sought tabling of the Telangana bill in the winter session of parliament, Tourism Minister Vatti Vasant Kumar demanded that the Centre review the decision and explained the problems the bifurcation would lead to.
The GoM heard leaders of five parties yesterday, the first day of a two-day meeting with eight parties from the state.
Congress and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders met the GoM separately in the evening at North Block.
Earlier, the ministerial group heard Majlis-e-Ittehedul Muslimeen, Bharatiya Janata Party and Communist Party of India.
Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Defence Minister A K Antony, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office V Narayanasamy heard the views of the parties.
Each party got 20 minutes to make its presentation before the GoM. The ministers also sought clarifications on some issues.
The ministerial group has invited Telugu Desam Party (TDP), YSR Congress party and Communist Party of India (Marxist) today.
TDP has said it will not send its leaders for the meeting to protest the “unilateral” manner in which the central government is going ahead with the bifurcation.
Two Congress leaders submitted separate reports to the GoM.
After the meeting, Rajanarasimha told reporters that Telangana would be formed by January 1, 2014.
He also demanded that the bill to carve out Telangana state be tabled in parliament immediately.
On the other hand, Vasant Kumar, representing Seemandhra (Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra) opposed the centre’s decision to bifurcate the state.
He explained to the GoM the problems both the regions would face after the division. He also highlighted the concerns of Seemandhra people living in Hyderabad.
TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao and party general secretary K Keshava Rao were the last to meet the GoM.
They made it clear that any conditions on Telangana and Hyderabad would be unconstitutional and would not be accepted by the people.
IANS
