According to sources, citing lack of consensus, the Congress High Command might delay the decision, which was earlier expected to be taken during Congress Core Committee meeting scheduled on July 12. “There is no change in stand by any leader. While Telangana leaders want a separate State, the leaders of Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, are against the division,” a senior Congress leader involved in the process of preparing the road-map for Telangana told this website.

PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana has collected the views of MPs and ministers while camping in the national capital since three days. However, sources say that the opinions expressed before the PCC president and Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy were divided. Following lack of consensus, the Congress leadership might not announce any decision on the Telangana although the Core Committee might discuss the issue.

Another leader pointed out that the Telangana Sadhana Sabha held on May 30 in Hyderabad was aimed at preventing the exodus of leaders to Telangana Rashtra Samithi. The Congress leadership was worried that more MPs and MLAs would follow senior leader K Keshava Rao, MPs G Vivek and Manda Jagannatham to the TRS. The Telangana Sadhana Sabha meeting was perfectly planned and it coincided with the visit of AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh to Visakhapatnam. The next day, he came to Hyderabad and held discussions on the issue. This was again followed by a series of meetings and visit of senior leaders to the national capital.

Sources said that the report submitted by Digvijay Singh to Congress president Sonia Gandhi contained no specific recommendation on formation of Telangana. He only presented an overall view of the existing scenario in the State. The Congress party is now planning to drag the issue till the end of August although it might take measures to maintain the present momentum.

Talking to reporters here, Gutta said that the Seemandhra leaders have been trying to confuse and threaten the Congress High Command which has almost decided in favour of formation of Telangana State. He said that the recent visits of Seemandhra leaders to the national capital were aimed at blocking the announcement of Telangana which might come anytime.

Gutta also slammed Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal for meeting AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh. He said by issuing veiled and open threats, he was trying to blackmail the party. He said that Lagadapati was a businessman and not a political leader. Therefore, his retirement from politics would not affect the Congress party in any way.

- INN

Digvijay Singh submitted the report during his half-an-hour long meeting with the Congress chief on Saturday morning. According to sources, the report contains the overview of opinions expressed by leaders of different regions with regard to Telangana issue. Further, it Digvijay has reportedly made his own observations on the Pro’s and Con’s of granting statehood for the region.

The AICC incharge has explained in detail the latest political situation in Andhra Pradesh. He also made a special mention on impact of exit of senior leader K Keshava Rao and two Lok Sabha MPs – G Vivek and Manda Jagannatham from the party to join the TRS. A note was also included about the Telangnana Sadhana Sabha held on June 30 at Nizam College Grounds.

According to sources, Digvijay Singh’s report also contained a list of leaders, from both Telangana and Seemandhra regions, who might quit the party and its likely impact if the Congress High Command decides in favour or against the formation of Telangana.

Based on Digvijay Singh’s report, the Congress Core Committee is likely to take a final decision on Telangana issue during its next meeting to be held next Friday.

- INN

Almost a month after the TRS and BJP held the public meetings at the same venue, the Congress leaders from Telangana region will be displaying their strength on the statehood issue at Telangana Sadhana Sabha. This is probably for the first time that the ministers, MLAs, MLCs and other leaders of Congress party have joined hands over Telangana. Initially, they held a series of meetings under the chairmanship of Panchayat Raj Minister K Jana Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha.

The meetings were followed by visit of some prominent leaders to the national capital. A few reports of constitution of a powerful Telangana Regional Council or a special economic package for the region were floated in media to check how the possible reactions. Some leaders including former PCC President D Srinivas, who were silent for the last few years, were widely quoted by the media on Telangana issue.

After the initial build-up, the Telangana Congress leaders then decided to hold a public meeting. The leaders also sought the support of different Joint Action Committees including the Telangana Political JAC led by Prof M Kodandaram. Huge crowd is being mobilised for the meeting from all districts of the region.

Analysts feel that the meeting is just a prelude to a major announcement on the Telangana issue by the Centre. Instead of allowing the TRS, which gained strength with the joining of two sitting MPs – G Vivek and M Jagannatham – and former PCC chief K Keshav Rao, to take credit for any development on the statehood issue, the Congress wants its own leaders to emerge heroes of Telangana.

A similar strategy was adopted when TRS cheif K Chandrasekhar Rao and Medak MP Vijayshanti raised the Telangana issue in Parliament. In an apparently planned move, the T-Congress MPs stalled the Lok Sabha proceedings by defying the party High Command. While the MPs got suspended from the House for a brief period and the party did not take any disciplinary action against them, they were given a heroic welcome when they returned Hyderabad.

The Sunday’s meeting too is said to be aimed at down-sizing the TRS in the region.

The meeting enjoying the full support from the Congress High Command is being gauged from the fact that some leaders like Mohammad Ali Shabbir and Damodar Rajanarasimha, who were not too active on the statehood issue, are directly supervising its arrangements.  However, some senior leaders have denied the allegation that the meeting was staged-managed by the High Command. They said that Congress party was always serious about Telangana and only it can give statehood for the region.