Telangana issue: Decision may get delayed; TRS warns of protests

Zeenews Bureau Hyderabad/New Delhi: It seems that a solution to the demands for separate statehood to Telangana is not going to come out in near future. After a meeting of the senior Congress leaders on Saturday night, the regional Congress leaders who were hoping for a quick decision are now finding it hard to save their face. As per the official sources, Congress party may not take an immediate decision on the issue. The decision may only be taken after Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde returns from a foreign tour on Tuesday, January 29. In yesterday’s meeting, senior Congress leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi had discussed the demands for separate statehood to Telangana in view of the approaching deadline, set by the central government, for a decision on the issue. However, while going back on its word to announce a solution to the Telangana problem by Jan 28, the Congress party on Wednesday had said "one month does not mean 30 days". Meanwhile, pro-Telangana parties like the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) have threatened to agitate against the decision taken in the Congress core group meet, accusing the Congress of succumbing to vested political interests. TRS MLA KT Rama Rao said to a news channel, “The government is only humiliating itself. We will intensify the agitation if this is how it continues." Dashing hopes of Telangana leaders, including those from its own ranks who were expecting a decision to carve out a Telangana state, the ruling party said a decision on the vexatious issue was not likely to be made by Jan 28. Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is in charge of party affairs in the state, had indicated earlier this week that a decision on Telangana could be delayed. Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde had said on December 28 that the central government would take decision on the demand for carving Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh within a month. Since Shinde`s announcement, Congress leadership has held talks with its leaders in Andhra Pradesh to arrive at a decision. However, its leaders are divided on regional lines.