New Delhi, December 13
A worried Congress top brass is likely to meet tomorrow morning, before the Parliament assembles for the day, to take stock of the situation arising out of the Andhra Pradesh crisis and devise a strategy for increasing clamour from other parts of the country for more new states.
Party sources say while the main issue before the Congress core group, headed by party president Sonia Gandhi, will be the volatile situation in Andhra that has the party all tied up in knots, the leadership will also decide upon the party’s approach ensuing from the volatile Telengana issue that has opened a floodgate of demands for creation of smaller states.
“The primary aim is how to avert a Constitutional crisis in Andhra Pradesh, which otherwise may go down in the history as a classical case of self-goal by the Congress,” a senior party leader said adding that the party may also discuss the setting up of second States Reorganisation Commission in view of growing demand for smaller states across the country.
However, he ruled out the possibility of the President’s rule in the state, saying that the attempt will be to ensure that tomorrow the Assembly is adjourned sine die. “It has been conveyed to the party MLAs that the situation will be resolved,” he said.
Interestingly, party leaders admit that the “hasty announcement” on Telangana has landed the Congress in a “complete mess”. “Andhra is the only Congress-governed state down South and the fact is that the Telengana issue could have been handled in a better way. He (Home Minister P Chidambaram) thought he would be able to resolve the situation with one midnight statement,” they say
Which is why instead of following the wait-and-watch policy, the party’s first and foremost priority now to get out of the Andhra crisis and be ready with answers for questions on smaller states.
Officially the Congress is not commenting on setting up of a second States Reorganisation Commission. “The SRC is under consideration of the government,” Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee yesterday ruled out the formation of any new states.
However, Utter Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has posed further difficulties for the the Congress-led UPA government by demanding creation of separate Poorvanchal state, comprising of districts of UP from the eastern part of the state. She had earlier demanded creation of Bundelkhand and Harit Pradesh states by writing letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Critical of Mayawati's demand, the Congress says the UP Chief Minister was adding fuel to the Telengana issue and states cannot be created by writing letters to the Prime Minister. “If she is really concerned about making Bundelkhand and Harit Pradesh separate states, she should have first got a resolution passed in the Assembly instead of writing to the Prime Minister on it,” Ahmed said.
Meanwhile, Congress MP from Vijayawada L Rajagopal, who has resigned his Lok Sabha seat, today said he would join the movement for keeping Andhra Pradesh united and against creation of Telangana.
