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Cong summons Telangana MPs to Delhi
K V Prasad
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 29
Congress central leadership today summoned seven MPs from the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh who threatened to resign from Parliament protesting delay in announcing a decision on the formation of a separate State.

The MPs, Manda Jagannath, Madhu Yashki Goud, Ponnam Prabhakar, K Rajagopal Reddy, S. Rajaiah, G. Vivekanand and Gutha Sukender had served a notice yesterday they will send in their resignations, addressed to the Lok Sabha Speaker, to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Party sources said senior leader Vayalar Ravi spoke to the MPs and asked them to reach Delhi by tomorrow. Union Minister Ravi, who has been tasked by the party to look after affairs of Andhra Pradesh, is currently in Chennai and expected to reach here on Wednesday evening.

Ravi is expected to persuade these MPs not press for resignations and precipitate matters ahead of the crucial Budget session of Parliament due to start next month.

On his part, Madhu Goud told The Tribune that during their visit to the Capital the seven MPs will also seek audience from party president Sonia Gandhi urging her to take an early decision on creating Telangana state.

Congress MPs from the Telangana region are under pressure from constituents to take some action on an emotive issue that got accentuated after the party on Sunday deferred any announcement with Ghulam Nabi Azad stating there is no deadline.

Apart from the seemingly intractable solution especially on the fate of the capital city of Hyderabad, the Congress leadership in Delhi does not want to add to its woes of upsetting a delicate balance of MPs during the forthcoming Parliament session.