Cong Core Group all for Telangana

New Delhi: The Centre is all set to announce the creation of Telangana, with Rahul Gandhi falling in line with the view of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on the same. According to high-level sources, Rahul Gandhi was earlier not convinced with the demand for the formation of Telangana state, but the pros and cons have been explained to him by the Central leaders. The Congress Vice-President is now pushing for the decision, as any delay can only hurt the political prospects of the Congress not only in Lok Sabha elections, but also in the local body elections. The Congress Core Group members, including Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Congress President's Political Secretary Ahmed Patel and Union Defence Minister AK Antony besides AICC General-Secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh Digvijay Singh are unanimous that the decision in favour of the creation of Telangana has to be taken at the earliest. Sources stated that the Congress Core Group meeting slated for Friday will firm up the decision, though it may withhold announcing the decision, keeping in mind the civic body elections and the Model Code of Conduct coming in the way. "It has to be now or never," Rahul Gandhi is stated to have told the senior leaders of the party. The Core Group meeting will discuss the timeline on bringing the new state into reality, including the taking up of the resolution in the Assembly. Sources stated that the discussion on Friday would be based on the roadmap on the "nitty-gritty" of the state formation that would be presented by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, APCC President Botcha Satyanarayana and Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha, for the creation of Telangana. The decision has already been taken on it. Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde is believed to have explained to the Central leadership that bringing a resolution in the State Assembly is necessary as was done in the case of Chhattisgarh, Uttrakhand and Jharkhand. The party is of the opinion that the resolution can easily be passed in the House, given the strong wave in favour of the separate state. Political parties in the state like BJP, TRS are completely in favour of a separate state while the YSRCP and TDP have been saying that they are not opposed to it, and the Congress is feeling isolated on the issue. Besides the Telangana MLAs, votes in favour of the new State will also be cast by the MLAs belonging to the other side. Sources stated that the Congress will issue a whip and all the MLAs will have to fall in line. Shinde on Wednesday did not specify how soon the announcement would be made, but he stated that the Core Group will take a decision on it. He said that the discussions on Telangana have been taking place for quite some time and a decision will follow. Sources stated that the Central leadership has heard all the voices in favour of and against a separate state. Situation has come to such a point that they are pushed to the wall in taking a decision. Rahul Gandhi was briefed and is still being given secret notes by the protagonists of united Andhra Pradesh, trying to influence his decision, but once he has made up his mind, he is unlikely to alter his view. The Telangana Congress MPs have already been sounded and have been told to do their best to pacify the ruffled feelings of the Seemandhra leaders. Their basic fear is that if the Telangana is formed they will have to sell their properties and leave Hyderabad. It was only to assuage the Seemandhra leaders that in the last reshuffle, both the Ministers inducted into the Union Council of Ministers were from the Andhra region � Textiles Minister Kavuri Sambasiva Rao and Minister of State for Finance J D Seelam. Anita Saluja