M A I N   N E W S

Telangana turmoil
Cong tells Reddy to clamp ESMA
Signals go-slow strategy on bifurcation
Aditi Tandon/TNS

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu’s fast entered its third day on Wednesday. Tribune photo: MR Bhui

New Delhi, October 9
On the edge over its decision to form a separate state of Telangana, the Congress on Wednesday asked Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy to clamp the Essential Services Management Act (ESMA) to restore normalcy and signalled a go-slow strategy on state’s bifurcation.

In a subtle warning to the CM, said to be “openly fuelling” the anti-Telangana sentiment in the state as he is from Rayalaseema, Congress spokesperson PC Chacko said: “It is the responsibility of the state government to maintain law and order under. The state government must take strong action and invoke ESMA.”

Though the Congress reiterated that its decision to form Telangana was “irreversible”, it, importantly, indicated a change in its strategy by saying “no time frame could be put to the formation of the new state considering the fact that the situation was evolving”.

“I can’t say if we will be able to form the state of Telangana before or after the Lok Sabha elections. We want to bring the related Bill in the winter session but whether we can do that will depend on the emerging situation and results of the consultation which the Group of Ministers, set up to deal with the issue, has with the stakeholders,” Chacko said.

In another firm indication that it was willing to take all dissenters on board and not rush the move of bifurcating Andhra, the government today reconstituted the Group of Ministers on Telangana and dropped from its earlier terms of reference a critical six-week deadline clause that had been included when the GoM was first announced four days ago.

“We are interested in concluding the process of formation of Telangana as early as possible. But we realise that more time is needed to convince people. That is why the 

six- week deadline earlier prescribed for the GoM had been deleted,” said Chacko.

On another query about why it was taking the government so long to form Telangana, the Congress leader said “the situation was very complex and currently not acceptable to all.”

Congress’ decision to take all stakeholders on board came on a day when YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy’s mother met BJP chief Rajnath Singh in the national capital. The GoM, comprising Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, Defence Minister AK Antony, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Petroleum Minister M Veerappa Moily and Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, will hold its first meeting on Friday and will later meet the agitating sides before going forward on the division. The government today dropped from the GoM HRD Minister MM Pallam Raju after he met the PM two days ago to press for acceptance of his resignation.