Cong hopeful all sections will accept Telangana decision

New Delhi: Amid protests and resignation threats by anti-Telangana leaders within the party, Congress on Wednesday expressed confidence that everybody will finally accept the decision about carving out of a separate state from Andhra Pradesh.

"I have no information about resignations. But many people had their reservations earlier also. We are hopeful that they people listen to the party and be with the decision taken by it," Congress spokesman Meem Afzal told reporters here. He was responding when asked to comment on unhappiness within the Congress party over the decision to form Telangana, with some leaders like Lok Sabha member Rayapati Sambasiva Rao and MLA P Ramesh Babu threatening to resign. To questions about the Congress view on demands for setting up of second State Reorganisation Commission (SRC) after Telangana decision, Afzal said, "this is an old issue. ..We have nothing to say on it right now." At the same time, he maintained that Congress is in favour of formation of smaller states and the party had also passed a resolution on the issue in past. Seeking to delink Telangana decision from other such demands, he said "a decision on creation of a state is taken only after considering its economic viability and geographical condition.... We have taken this decision on Telangana and we have at present no viewpoint on creating any other state." Strongly justifying the decision to create the new state out of Andhra Pradesh, he also claimed that by and large all parties have supported it and the decision has been "received well". PTI