Hyderabad: A group of Congress legislators
from Telangana on Sunday called on Union Minister and AICC
in-charge for Andhra Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad and appealed to
him to expedite the process of forming a separate Telangana
state.
Azad, during his two-day visit to the city, attended the
party coordination committee meeting yesterday and held
parleys with state ministers, MLAs, MLCs and other party
leaders today.
A group of party MLAs from Telangana met Azad and told him
the Telangana demand must be acceded without any further
delay.
"We told him that separate Telangana demand be accepted
without delay. We are not ready for any (development) packages
as a solution," T Kavita, a Congress MLA from Telangana
region, told reporters here.
Leaders of the pro-Telangana employees of Andhra Pradesh
government met Azad earlier in the day and demanded that the
bill for the formation of separate Telangana be introduced in
the Budget session of Parliament.
K Swamy Goud, a leader of the Telangana employees, quoted
Azad as saying that the Congress high command is unable to
take up the issue now, as it is pre-occupied with the Assembly
elections in five states.
Azad, who is the Union Health Minister, has been holding
consultations with party leaders from across the state, in a
bid to find an amicable solution to the contentious issue.
Senior Congress Rajya Sabha member V Hanumantha Rao met
Azad and urged him to increase the representation of the
weaker sections in the state Cabinet and government.
A group of Congress MLCs also requested Azad to give a
"handful" of berths in the state Cabinet to some of them.
Except a lone MLC of erstwhile Praja Rajyam, no MLC has been
given a ministerial berth at present.
Meanwhile, Congress Lok Sabha member from Amalapuram G
Harsha Kumar cautioned that the SCs should not be ignored
while accommodating `Kapu` community members in the state
Cabinet. The two legislators of the erstwhile Praja Rajyam,
who were inducted into the Cabinet last week, reportedly
belong to the `Kapu` community.
He accused Azad of not ensuring justice to all. "We
expected a senior leader like Azad to set things right.
But, that is not happening in this aspect."
Earlier in the day, the AICC general secretary attended an
"informal meeting" at former Union Minister Renuka Chowdhary`s
residence here. Azad also met state Governor E S L Narasimhan
during the day.
Azad chaired the party`s coordination committee meeting
yesterday, during which, he asked the party leaders to promote
a number of welfare measures being implemented by
the state and Central governments.
"We discussed about the impending by-elections to various
Assembly seats and gear up the party rank and file. We also
discussed the implementation of the promises made in the 2009
election manifesto," PCC president B Satyanarayana said after
the meeting last night.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will visit Hyderabad on
February 4 to lay the foundation-stone of the Rs 12,000 crore
Hyderabad Metro Rail Project, he added.
Responding to Lok Sabha member Harsha Kumar`s criticism
against Azad, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee general
secretary G Niranjan termed the parliamentarian`s comments as
"unfortunate" and asked him to tender an apology.
"Harsha Kumar`s comments on Ghulam Nabi Azad are
unfortunate. They are against party discipline. He should
withdraw his comments and tender apology. These comments would
hurt party interests at a time when efforts are being made to
strengthen the party by ensuring coordination," he said in a
release.
PTI
