Antony report likely in a week

Antony report likely in a week
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Highlights

The Antony Committee which had interacted with Union Ministers, MPs, state ministers, MLAs and MLCs during past one month is likely to submit its report to the Congress high command within one week’s time. The committee is learnt to be in the process of finalising the report and is unlikely to visit Hyderabad.

  • Unlikely to visit Hyderabad as promised
  • May not recommend UT status for Hyd
  • Rayala Telangana proposal also unlikely
  • Committee yet to consider 371(d) issue
  • Sailajanath hints at panel moving ahead despite Samaikya stir

V Ramu Sarma

Hyderabad: The Antony Committee which had interacted with Union Ministers, MPs, state ministers, MLAs and MLCs during past one month is likely to submit its report to the Congress high command within one week’s time. The committee is learnt to be in the process of finalising the report and is unlikely to visit Hyderabad.

According to sources who had informal discussions with the committee members, including the AICC general secretary in charge of state affairs Digvijay Singh, feel that the committee has come to the opinion that the Seemandhra leaders were not opposed to division of the state as they had not put up a common argument in favour of united state. There is no unanimity even among the nine union ministers and each one had separate suggestions like according UT status for Hyderabad or some other suggestion.

The committee is also said to be not in favour of UT or Rayala Telangana since such a demand had come from just a few people and the general public are also not in favour of it. Committee also feels that the proposal could create new problems in taking the process of bifurcation forward, the sources add. However, the Antony committee, according to Seemandhra leaders like S Sailajanath, Paladugu Venkat Rao and Rudraraju Padmaraju has taken note of the intensity of the ongoing agitation in Seemandhra region.

These leaders met the officials of Union Home Ministry and tried to gauge the mood of the central government and the status of the Cabinet Note. They also wanted to know what would happen to article 371(d) which had introduced the zonal system in the state after Jai Andhra movement in 1972. According to Sailjanath, even the Home Ministry is not yet clear on this aspect. The officials are understood to have told the Seemandhra leaders that they would seek legal opinion on the issue.

They however could not get any inkling about what were the issues that would figure in the Cabinet Note. Sailjanath said they had told the officials that Hyderabad should not be made into a Union Territory. They said UT status would cause immense loss to all the regions. While indicating that the Centre was expediting the process of bifurcation notwithstanding the agitation in Seemandhra region, Paladagu said that efforts were on to complete the process at the earliest. They said that the high command was aware of the political fallout of bifurcation and appears to be ready to even lose one election in Seemandhra region.

Central Ministers from Seemandhra to meet tomorrow

Hyderabad: The Seemandhra Ministers in the Union Cabinet will meet here on Saturday at Ministers Quarters. This meeting assumes importance since the Centre has put the Telangana issue on fast track following the return of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi from US. The Union Ministers will review the developments related the bifurcation of the state, the ongoing agitation in Seemandhra region and will work out their action plan, The ministers in the State Cabinet will also attend the meeting according to sources.

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