New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Thursday expressed hope that a solution to the
Telangana issue would be found soon as he met Ministers and
lawmakers from the region for consultations on the contentious
statehood demand.
Azad, who was at the centre of a controversy after he
made certain "anti-Telangana" remarks, also asked the leaders
to form a smaller group with 10 representatives for further
consultations.
Azad, who is the party incharge for Andhra Pradesh,
recalled that he had made a similar request to the party
leaders of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.
"A solution could be found...My main concern is, apart
from the resignation issue of so many Congress MPs the State
(Andhra Pradesh) should not suffer any more because of this
issue," he said.
Due to the current situation in Hyderabad and other
parts of Andhra Pradesh, industrial investments were not
forthcoming for the last few years, he said.
Azad said the Congress would continue with its
consultation process.
The meeting came after the leaders refused to meet him
in protest against his remarks that the Telangana issue cannot
move an "inch" unless the Andhra Pradesh Assembly passes a
resolution in this regard. Later, they announced that they
would meet him.
However, the lawmakers today told him that they would
accept nothing short of a separate Telangana state.
PTI
First Published: Friday, July 22, 2011, 00:00