Delhi meet leaves T Cong netas dejected

The two-hour long Congress Core Committee meeting has left T Congress leaders a little disappointed. Though they still continue to claim that the party high command will decide in favour of separate T state and a final decision will be taken in this regard at the highest decision making body the Congress Working Committee, some others felt that lot of hype about the core group meeting had given a chance to the opposition parties to lash out at the Congress party. Former PCC president D Srinivas said that there was nothing to feel disheartened. The Congress Working Committee would meet in next two or three days and take a decision. It is the highest policy decision-making body and no one can oppose it. The trio, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister, Damodar Rajanarasimha and PCC president Botcha has been asked to be available around that time, he said. The TJAC chief Prof M Kodandaram said, "Congress had raised expectations on Telangana issue without delivering any solution in the end. We urge the people of the region, especially students, not to lose their heart and resort to extreme steps." Speaking to newsmen on Friday evening, Kodandaram pointed out that Congress has deceived the Telangana people once again. He said the Congress party was forced to put the issue before the core committee only because of the untiring efforts of Telangana JAC. It is left with no option but to take a stand on the issue, the professor said. "We had serious doubts by the urgency shown by the Congress high command, and now it is proved that the national party lacked the commitment to resolve the issue," he added. While calling upon people of Telangana not to get disheartened by the "dilly-dallying tactics of the Congress" over the T-issue, the professor warned the Congress leadership with teaching befitting lesson in the ensuing local body and general elections. He gave a clarion call to Telangana people requesting them to continue their fight relentlessly till statehood is given to the region. "Telangana state will be a reality not with the mercy of others but with our own strength. Hence, I call upon people to teach a fitting lesson to the ruling party in the ensuing polls," Kodandaram added. The BJP called for protests with black flags in 10 districts on Saturday. State president, G Kishen Reddy said the Congress had once again cheated the people. TRS legislature party leader, E Rajender said it was another game plan by the Congress to prolong its discussions on the issue of state bifurcation. He demanded the Congress high command to hold the CWC meet on Saturday itself if the ruling party was really trying to resolve the Telangana issue at the earliest. TDP Telangana Forum on Friday said that people will teach a befitting lesson to Congress for dragging the Telangana issue in the guise of holding consultation and evolve consensus in the next general election. Forum Convener E Dayakar Rao alleged that the ruling Congress was playing double standards on Telangana. "The cheating tactics adopted by the party was exposed after the Core committee meeting held in New Delhi this evening. People expected positive news from the meeting but nothing came out of it to address the decades-old pending issue," he said. The YSRCP leaders B Govardhan and G Ramachandra Rao too censured the decision of the AICC leadership, saying that Congress Party's hoodwinking nature on the T-issue had once again been revealed. The Seemandhra leaders like TG Venkatesh said that the outcome of the core group meeting was on expected lines. He is of the opinion that the Congress high command will announce its decision three months before the general elections. TRS has left the agitation and wanted to see the end of Congress in elections and hence the Congress party too was gearing up to meet the challenges, he said.