Flip-flops of central leaders over Telangana statehood

What the AICC spokesperson P C Chacko said on May 18 regarding the issue of separate Telangana only to "clarify" the position the next day is just symptomatic of how various leaders of the party and the union government have been saying different things at different times and then contradicting them later on over the years. Here are a few takes of what some of them said recently

PC Chacko AICC Spokesperson (Sunday) May 19, 2013 Insisting that the Telangana problem is very much on the UPA's national agenda, Congress spokesperson P C Chacko on Sunday said the party is aware of the sentiments of the people from that region and a decision will be taken as soon as the ongoing consultation process is over. In a statement, Chacko said his comments on Telangana on Saturday at a press conference were misunderstood and misconstrued as if the issue is not a part of the UPA's agenda. "Telangana is very much part of the UPA agenda and a decision on this issue will be taken at the appropriate time. The Congress party is aware of the sentiments of the people of Telangana and a decision will be taken as soon as the consultation process is over," Chacko clarified in the statement.

May 18 Congress on Saturday said the issue of separate Telangana does not form part of the UPA's national agenda and it only concerned the state government- remarks which may cause consternation in Andhra Pradesh. "The issue does not form party of the national agenda of UPA. It definitely does not form part...It concerns the state government", party spokesman P C Chacko said at the AICC briefing. In January this year, Chacko had spoken differently. "Congress is for Telangana. It is only an issue of time. A decision has to be taken...it has to have a constitutional basis. That (process) has to be completed now," he had said days after the January 28 deadline set by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde for a decision on the issue had lapsed.

Ghulam Nabi Azad Incharge of party affairs in AP January 23, 2013 "I don't think one month .....(deadline should be taken so literally). When one says tomorrow, it does not mean tomorrow morning. When one says one week, sometimes it is two weeks", Azad said when told that the Centre's one-month deadline on Telangana issue is fast approaching.

May 9, 2013 AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad claimed that some national issues were behind the delay in taking a decision on Telangana by the Congress leadership. While interacting with the party Telangana MPs on Wednesday night meeting, he said party is very much keen to solve the issue at the earliest. He said whenever the party wanted to solve the issue, it was confronted by more serious problems at the national level leading to the delay. Eleven Congress MPs from the T-region participated in the meeting that was held a day ahead of the MPs meeting with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

July 12 2011 Congress general secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday ruled out any moves on the Telangana issue until there was "full consensus" among political parties from across the State, warning that without a unanimous resolution being passed in the State assembly the issue "cannot move an inch". "The tempers are very high, the sentiments are very deep in the Telangana region, but at the same time the people of Seemandhra and Rayalseema are opposing tooth and nail [the moves to create a new State]," he said, adding that without the "full consensus and full cooperation" of legislators from both regions, a resolution will not be able to be passed. "The most important thing is while we have the sympathy for sentiments of people of Telangana� but at the same time, for a division of any state, you need to have a total consensus," Mr. Azad, told reporters here (in Beijing). "Unless we do that exercise, and have that unanimity, it will be very difficult for the federal government to take such a decision," he said.

July 28, 2011 Union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has said that he has a fresh and open mind in resolving the Telangana crisis, adding that he is looking forward to a "specific dialogue". A He even went to the extent of saying that it's not just the Srikrishna Report that should be considered but a "fresh mindset needs to be developed in finding a solution to this restive issue". "Everything is open and it's for the representatives to put forward their arguments - both for and against. We are looking forward to a more specific dialogue. They have been sent here by the people, so whatever they'll speak here we'll take that into cognizance," Mr Azad said. Will the Congress pay political price for Telangana dithering? "I think the representatives are free to say anything because these representatives have their own aspirations for a separate state; the representatives from other regions will have their own point of view. So, we are trying to find out a meeting point. Let's see, I'll try to conclude this in two months and we'll see which the areas of difference are and which are the areas of convergence," he added.

Sushil Kumar Shinde Union Home Minister February 12, 2013 Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Monday said the Centre was interested in taking a quick decision on the demand for creation of separate Telangana and consultations with the various stakeholders were still on. The issue was not closed yet. Talking to journalists in Delhi, Mr. Shinde, replied to a question: "It (Telangana demand) is not a closed chapter. We are discussing it. The issue is open because we have to do this way or that way." To another question on when a decision was likely to be announced, he shot back: "There is no limit."

December 29, 2012 The much-awaited decision on Telangana issue will be taken within a month, said Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde. The announcement came after senior political leaders from Andhra Pradesh on Friday met Shinde and urged the central government to take a decision on Telangana at the earliest. The meeting held in New Delhi was convened by Shinde and top leaders from eight political parties from Andhra Pradesh including CM Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy and two representatives from each political party attended the meeting. "I have heard carefully from all the parties. I will brief the government on the outcome of the meeting and within one month we will come out with a result. Within one month, there will be a decision," he said.

February 11, 2013 Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde Monday said there was no set time limit for a decision on the demand for a separate state of Telangana, to be carved out of Andhra Pradesh. He said the government was keen on a resolution of the issue. Shinde had, in December, set a timeline of one month for arriving at a decision on the contentious issue of statehood for Telangana. That deadline expired Jan 28. "The issue is open, to do it this way or that way. We are interested," Shinde said.

Pranab Mukherjee Earlier Union Finance Minister, then President of India October 8, 2011 After a meeting of the Congress top brass on the Telangana issue late last night, senior leader Pranab Mukherjee said the government needs more time to resolve the crisis. But speaking to NDTV earlier this week, the minister had said the creation of Telangana "will create more problems."

October 8, 2011 In an interview, Mukherjee had said that the demand for Telangana was on since the past 50 years and hence defining a time frame for the resolution was not possible.

December 27, 2009 Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has assured a delegation of nine Andhra Pradesh Ministers from Telangana that "some good news" would be available soon and asked them to withdraw their resignations.

October 1, 2011 Pranab Mukherjee said, "We are in the process of consultations. Yesterday [Friday], we discussed it in the Core Group. Today, some of my colleagues discussed it with me. Further consultations would be needed," Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here. He, however, did not elaborate on the form and nature of such an engagement.

October 10, 2011 "The consultation process within the Congress is still going on. I think we will be able to complete the process by Monday," Mukherjee said.

After getting elected as President of India Newly-elected President of India Pranab Mukherjee has preferred to keep silence on the contentious Telangana statehood issue, but gave a lot of compliments to the political leaders from Andhra Pradesh.