Seemandhra, T leaders sharpen their stand

Seemandhra, T leaders  sharpen their stand
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Highlights

Integrationists meet in City To meet Digvijay in Vizag & Hyd Prepare for anything to keep State united Madhu Yashki calls it a 'drama' ...

  • Integrationists meet in City
  • To meet Digvijay in Vizag & Hyd
  • Prepare for anything to keep State united
  • Madhu Yashki calls it a 'drama'

Hyderabad: The leaders of Telangana and Seemandhra region are gearing up for presenting their case before the AICC General Secretary in-charge of the State Digvijay Singh during his three-day visit to the State from June 29. Singh, who will be arriving in Visakhapatnam on June 29 night will spend the next day there and reach the City on July 1.

The Seemandhra leaders will make a detailed presentation to Digvijay Singh demanding that the State should not be bifurcated and that the party high command should accept that part of Srikrishna Committee report which has suggested an option of maintaining status quo so that there can be all round development of the state. On the other hand, the T leaders will submit a resolution passed at the June 30 meeting to be held at Nizam College grounds demanding Telangana as it existed before it merged with Andhra State in 1956.

Talking to the media after the meeting of Seemandhra leaders held on Friday, Ministers Sake Sailajanath, Ganta Srinivasa Rao, TG Venkatesh and others said that they will meet Digvijay Singh both in Visakhapatanam on June 30 and in Hyderabad on July 1 and will explain to him as to why the State should not be bifurcated. Sailajanath said that the T issue has been boiling for some time and all the stake holders have their own opinions on the issue. Moreover, there has been a lot of speculation in the media that the Congress High Command was involved in serious exercise to resolve the contentious issue.

Hence, the Seemandhra leaders felt that they too should reiterate their views before the High Command once again. He said they respect the High Command but at the same time were ready to do all that was necessary to prevent bifurcation of the State. Sailajanath said smaller states were carved in the past for administrative convenience. Here there is no such problem and all sections whether it be the Dalits, women or minorities can prosper if the State remains united. He said he was of the firm opinion that so far the High Command had not taken any decision on the T issue.

In reply to a question, he said, organising a huge rally with one or two lakh people in Hyderabad is not a big problem but they do not contemplate to do so since they believe in a peaceful solution to the issue which is very sensitive. "We are not competing with anyone. We only want to put forth our argument forcefully before the representative of the party high command," he said. Replying to a question on the statement made by Union Minister Kavuri Sambasiva Rao that he would abide by the decision of the High Command, Sailjanath and senior Congress leader Gade Venkatreddy said the Seemandhra leaders are certain that Kavuri will play his role effectively when the time comes. He is now a minister and hence cannot speak as openly as he used to do in the past.

Asked if they would resign if the High Command decides in favour of carving a new State, the Seemandhra leaders said that they would do whatever was necessary to keep the State united. Sailjanath said so far no one from the high command had spoken to them on the issue of creating Telangana. Consultations with all stake holders are a must before taking a final decision, he added. Another Minister Venkatesh said that he as well as Sailajanath had spoken to all Seemandhra leaders in the morning and all had endorsed their views and that there was no division among them in regard to keeping the State united. Telangana region is now well developed and there is no reason why the State should be split.

He said since the problem has arisen, leaders from both the regions are acting as per the aspirations of people of those regions. Minister for Infrastructure Srinivasa Rao said that the integrationists will hold meetings in Vijayawada, Anantapur and Visakhapatnam to demand that the State be kept united. Among others who attended the meeting were Mastan Vali and TV Ramarao ( MLAs) and Paladugu Venkatarao and Rudraraju Padmaraju ( both MLCs). Reacting to this meeting, Congress MP from Telangana Madhu Yashki Goud said that it was time for these leaders to stop the "drama "and cooperate for bifurcation of the State. Whenever the Centre actively considers the issue of Telangana, these leaders try to put spokes.

So far they used to threaten that the government would collapse if the State was split into two parts. But now they cannot hold such threats anymore. He said he has full faith in Sonia Gandhi and once the High Command decides they will have to abide by it. He added that the process of consultations is over and only the process to bifurcation has to begun.

seemandhara leaders

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