Telangana Ministers to meet GoM

Worried over pro-Seemandhra reports by panels

• Meet at Jaipal’s residence on Friday
• T MPs, MLAs and MLCs also attend meeting
• Plan strategy to protect T interests
• Meeting GoM to rebuff Seemandhra move
• Blast Naidu for staying away from GoM

The Union Ministers from Telangana region will be meeting the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Telangana on Monday to make a detailed submission, aimed at safeguarding the interests of Telangana. The Telangana leaders are apprehensive of media reports that some of the reports of the Centre are going against Telangana. To plan their strategy to protect Telangana interests, the Telangana Congress leaders descended on the capital on Friday and went into a huddle at the residence of Union Science & Technology Minister S Jaipal Reddy. The Telangana Congress leaders will meet again on Sunday to finalise the stand to be taken before the GoM on Telangana.

As the Telangana process has entered the final and decisive stage, the Telangana leaders tried to plan their strategy to ensure that nothing trips the process at this crucial stage.

Union Science & Technology Minister S Jaipal Reddy, Union Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment P Balram Naik and Union Minister of State for National Highways and Transport Sarvey Satyanarayana have been invited to appear before the GoM.

Ministers, MLAs, MLCs, MPs and other senior Congress leaders from Telangana region, along with Union Ministers from Telangana, attended the meeting. Those present in the meeting included Ministers K Jana Reddy, D K Aruna, Ponnala Lakshmaiah and Sudarshan Reddy.

Government Chief Whip Gandra Venkataramana Reddy, former APCC president D Srinivas and Congress MPs Gutta Sukhender Reddy and Ponnam Prabhakar, where among several senior Congress leaders who attended the meeting.

The Telangana Congress leaders meeting was aimed at rebuffing the attempts being made by the Congress leaders from Seemandhra region to either stall or slow down the process on the creation of separate State of Telangana. They are particularly worried over media reports of Antony Committee Report and Task Force Report of Union Home Ministry Security Adviser K Vijay Kumar, which appeared to favour the Seemandhra region. Fearing that the Telangana region may receive a raw deal, the Telangana Congress leaders want to make a detailed submission to the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Telangana.

Government Chief Whip Gandra Ventaramana Reddy was particularly sore that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who had declared that he would abide by whatever decision of the Congress High Command, has now turned against it. “It is betrayal of faith,” Venkataramana Reddy said. He was also critical of TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu for staying away from the all-party meeting. Naidu should have appeared and presented his party’s viewpoint, he said.

Ponnam Prabhakar took strong exception to Andhra Pradesh Minister Bala Raju for not being invited for the Chief Minister’s Rachabanda programme in Visakhapatnam. Ponnam Prabhakar also assured that there was no

security threat to the people of Seemandhra region in Telangana. He said full security would be provided to them.