Have patience on Telangana issue: PM tells MPs from Andhra

 
   New Delhi, Jul 19 (PTI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
 and his senior ministerial colleagues Tuesday counselled
 patience to lawmakers from non-Telangana regions in south
 Indian state Andhra Pradesh on the contentious statehood
 demand and asked them to continue engaging with the party
 leadership on the issue.
   The Ministers, Member of Parliaments (MPs) and Member
 of Legislative Assemblys (MLAs) from coastal Andhra and
 Rayalaseema regions met Singh, Finance Minister Pranab
 Mukherjee, Defence Minister A K Antony, Home Minister P
 Chidambaram and Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, insisting
 that the Centre and Congress should not take any step that
 would hurt the unity of the state.
   Their meetings came as lawmakers from Telangana region
 accepted an invitation from to come to New Delhi for talks, a
 day after rejecting Azad's offer in protest against his
 alleged "anti-Telangana" remarks. They will be in Delhi this
 week-end.
   However, Azad also "clarified" that his remarks in
 Beijing on the Telangana demand was twisted by the media.
   The large delegation led by Higher Education Minister
 K Sailajanath and senior MP K S Rao met Singh for over 30
 minutes and apprised him of the situation in the state.
   Briefing reporters about the meeting, Sailajanath said
 the Prime Minister gave a patient hearing to them on all the
 issues.
   "The Prime Minister asked us to be patient. As
 disciplined Congress workers, he said everyone should wait
 (for a decision to be taken). He told us that he will convey
 our sentiments to Azad," Sailajanath said.
   Singh's colleagues also spoke to the lawmakers in a
 similar vein, asking them to be "patient" and give their views
 to Azad, the party in-charge for Andhra Pradesh.
   Azad asked leaders from all three regions - Telangana,
 coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema - to be patient.
   On his remarks in Beijing, Azad said: "I say one thing
 and you media people report another...What I meant was when
 states like UP, Bihar and MP were divided the respective state
 assemblies passed a resolution."
   "There was unanimity when these states were divided.
 It is not the case with Telangana and this is was I meant."
   He had last week told Indian journalists in Beijing
 that the Telangana issue cannot move an "inch" forward unless
 the Andhra Pradesh Assembly passes a resolution in this
 regard.
   Azad also asked leaders from the three regions to come
 for talks and expressed satisfaction at Telangana lawmakers
 accepting his invitation.
   The non-Telangana region' lawmakers said they
 categorically told the Prime Minister and other ministers that
 Andhra Pradesh should be kept united and no move should be
 made to divide the state. The leaders said they "clearly
 explained" their position to them.
   The delegation, comprising more than 15 state
 ministers, also told them that Andhra Pradesh should be kept
 united keeping in mind the "larger interest of the state."
   Senior MP Rao said the Telangana demand is being
 raised by "disgruntled politicians" and that they have clearly
 told the Central leaders about the designs of the leaders from
 that region.
   The coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema leaders want the
 Centre to go by the sixth option recommended by the Justice B
 N Srikrishna Committee, which went into the statehood issue.
       The sixth option states that Andhra Pradesh should be
 kept united with Constitutional/Statutory powers to Telangana
 and formation of a regional council to ensure development in
 that region too. PTI ETB
 KAP