Good news on Telangana very soon: Congress T-leaders
With the party high command sending a clear warning that dissolution of the state assembly would be the only option if the legislators resigned en masse, Congress MLAs from Telangana today cancelled their planned trip to Delhi and decided to put their resignations on hold.
Two formers ministers K Jana Reddy and R Damodar Reddy said the Centre would announce a “positive decision” in a day or two on the creation of a separate state. Jana Reddy and Damodar Reddy, who are leading the Congress MLAs and MLCs in the struggle for Telangana, told their colleagues upon their return from Delhi this afternoon that the Centre would soon announce a “sweet news” on the statehood issue.
“Soon, very soon we are expecting a positive decision on the Telangana issue. So we have decided not to go ahead with our resignations,” Jana Reddy said even as AICC general secretary, in-charge of Andhra Pradesh affairs, M Veerappa Moily warned early in the day that the resignations would only complicate the statehood issue further.
Jana Reddy and Damodar Reddy, however, did not specify the AICC leaders they met in New Delhi yesterday.
The Telangana Congress Ministers, MLAs and MLCs planned a trip to New Delhi today but abandoned it following a directive from Moily. But Jana and Damodar said they would go to New Delhi again if the Centre did not come out with a specific decision on the Telangana statehood issue.
Meanwhile, TDP legislators from Telangana, who met here this evening, expressed dismay over the Congress’ decision and wanted the issue to be discussed in the Telangana Political Joint Action Committee.
Even the Telangana Rashtra Samiti indirectly came down on the Congress MLAs saying they should respect the people who were the real high command rather than the party high command.
Damodar, however, told that they have not taken any decision as such on the resignations issue.
“We are expecting a positive decision from the Centre on the Telangana issue in a day or two. We will think of the resignations after that,” he said.
Moily also asked party MLAs and MPs in Andhra Pradesh not to resign. “A decision on the mechanism will be taken immediately.The frequent visits by party leaders from Andhra Pradesh would only complicate the issue,” he said in New Delhi.
On the other hand, the TDP MLAs, however, asserted that they would meet Assembly Speaker N Kiran Kumar Reddy on January 29 and get their resignations accepted.
“All the 39 TDP MLAs from Telangana are firm on the resignation. If the Centre comes out with a positive decision on the statehood issue well and good, otherwise, we will press for acceptance of our resignations,” TDP MLA R Prakash Reddy and M Narasimhulu said.
TRS MLA T Harish Rao too said the 10 legislators of his party too would press for acceptance of resignations on January 29.
