Don't talk against CWC decision

Diggy warns seemandhra leaders

• Antony Committee to meet Union Ministers, MPs today, tomorrow
• AP Assembly to get two chances to discuss division
• APNGOs asked to call off strike

Antony Committee, which has been set up to address the concerns of the people of Seemandhra region, held its maiden meeting on Tuesday night, where it worked out the schedule to conduct its work

Venkat Parsa

New Delhi: AICC general secretary, in-charge of Andhra Pradesh Digvijay Singh on Tuesday night issued a veiled warning to the Seemandhra Congress leaders and asked them to desist from launching an agitation, which goes against the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution on Telangana. Asserting that there was no going back on Telangana, Digvijay Singh said the Union Home Ministry would take the follow-up steps on the formation of Telangana.

Digvijay Singh said the decision to divide Andhra Pradesh was taken after due consultations and after almost 100 per cent consensus among the political parties in Andhra Pradesh. “Therefore, the stand being taken by the TDP and some of the MPs, I think, is unfortunate. The decision has been taken after due consultations,” he said. As a political party, Digvijay Singh said the Congress had the responsibility to address the concerns of the people and of the political parties. All the political parties in Andhra Pradesh represented to UPA Sub-Committee on Telangana chairman Pranab Mukherjee and again before Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde when he convened all-party meeting. Therefore, the Government had already completed the consultations process, he said.

The Antony Committee, which has been set up to address the concerns of the people of Seemandhra region, held its maiden meeting on Tuesday night, where it worked out the schedule to conduct its work. It was decided that on Wednesday and Thursday, the Committee would meet Union Ministers and MPs from the Seemandhra region. It will meet again on August 19-20. All those, who are keen to appear before the Antony Committee should inform APCC president Botcha Satyanarayana.

Emerging from the meeting, Digvijay Singh appealed the Andhra Pradesh NGOs to suspend their agitation and represent their concerns to Antony Committee. “I once again reiterate and appeal to all the NGOs to suspend their agitation and they are most welcome to meet the Comittee to put up their point, so that their concerns can be addressed. Because Parliament is on, it is not possible for senior Union Ministers to go to Hyderabad,” Digvijay Singh said.

The Andhra Pradesh Assembly would get opportunity to discuss Telangana twice, he said. “The first time is when the Union Home Ministry prepares a note and after the Cabinet considered it is sent to the President who, in turn, refers it to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly. The second time it gets an opportunity when the Draft Telangana Bill approved by the Union Cabinet is referred to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly for comments. On both the occasions the political parties can discuss it on the floor of the Assembly,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the Telangana Congress MPs called on Digvijay Singh to represent to him that the Seemandhra leaders are openly campaigning against the CWC resolution on Telangana. They urged Digvijay Singh that the process on the formation of Telangana should be expedited.