Hyderabad: Taking exception to the comments
of Union Minister and AICC leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on separate
Telangana demand, Congress leaders from the region on Monday said
they had decided not to accept his invitation to come to Delhi
for talks.
"Telangana people are hurt by Azad's comments that
consensus and Assembly resolution are needed for the formation
of a separate state," Congress MP G Sukhender Reddy told
reporters here.
"His remarks that the process should be started from the
scratch even after the Sri Krishna Committee submitted its
report are objectionable. We are not ready to accept his
invitation to come to Delhi, until he withdraws his comments,"
Reddy said after a meeting of Telangana Congress leaders from
the district and mandal level held here today.
While addressing Indian media in Beijing last week Azad
had said a decision on formation of Telangana state cannot be
taken without consensus among legislators of all regions of
Andhra Pradesh an that the issue cannot move an "inch" without
the state Assembly passing a unanimous resolution.
Congress Rajya sabha member K Kesava Rao today said the
Telangana Congress MPs and other leaders were not against
accepting Azad's invitation but the party leaders from the
district expressed reservation over accepting it.
Azad, who is the incharge of Congress Affairs in Andhra
Pradesh, had called up Keshava Rao and Andhra Pradesh
Panchayat Raj Minister K Jana Reddy yesterday and asked them
to come to Delhi for talks.
Responding to his invitation they said they will announce
the decision after today's meeting.
Rao said Telangana Congress leaders would not be able to
take back their resignations until a concrete response came
from the Centre on the Telangana demand.
Taking their agitation to the grassroot the Telangana
Congress leaders called for organising 'Satyagraha' at all
Mandal headquarters on July 20 and organising a flag festival
on July 26.
The meeting unanimously resolved that the Centre take
step for the formation of separate Telangana without delay.
The party leaders who spoke at the meeting expressed the
anger over the comments of the Azad and alleged that he is
behaving in a "biased manner".
"His comments have made it abundantly clear that he is
not unbiased," Congress MP M Jagannatham said.
The Telangana Congress MPs, MLAs and MLCs and minister
had quit their posts en masse earlier this month in support of
formation of a separate state.
PTI
First Published: Monday, July 18, 2011, 19:56