New Delhi: With just a week left for
Budget Session of Parliament to start, Congress leaders from
Telangana have stepped up pressure on the party high command
over the separate state issue.
"There are about 26 MPs, MLAs and MLCs in New Delhi.
They have met core group members like Ahmed Patel and A K
Antony yesterday and will meet other senior leaders like
Veerappa Moily and Ghulam Nabi Azad to put forward their
demands" Congress MP Hanumantha Rao, who hails from Telangana
region, told reporters here.
He said the leaders claimed they had not been going to
their constituencies for a while now as people were seeking
the progress report on the Telangana state issue.
"The aim of the Telangana leaders is to meet party
president Sonia Gandhi and convey their message. But, till
then they will meet other top leaders", Rao said.
The leaders are demanding that the government
introduce a bill for the creation of Telangana in the
forthcoming Budget session or announce any mechanism for
formation of the new state.
Three Congress MPs from the region yesterday met
senior party leaders Janardan Dwivedi and Motilal Vora at the
AICC headquarters in this regard.
Rao said the Telangana leaders are sending across the
message that "they will not be in a position to win the next
elections as they had promised to the people that a separate
state would be formed".
Meanwhile, party sources said that MLAs from the
region have also threatened to stall the Budget Session of
Andhra Pradesh Assembly beginning on February 17 if no
specific announcement regarding formation of Telangana is
made.
PTI
