All Telangana options open

The Congress has put “all options” back on the table on statehood for Telangana after its leadership discussed the issue in the wake of agitation in the volatile region on Friday. The discussion at the core group attended by PM Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi revolved around the report submitted by party general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad after consultations with party legislators and MPs from Telangana and Andhra regions. The report is inconclusive. Home minister P Chidambaram said Congress will take a stand on statehood on the basis of Azad’s report. He added that four state-level parties had not taken a decision either, of whom MIM and TDP were waiting to see what Congress decided. Referring to Azad’s report, Chidambaram said, “I think one important stage of consultation appears to be over today… I hope that the parties will make up their mind quickly as I appealed in Parliament to enable me to call an all-party meeting.” Chidambaram met political parties on Srikrishna report which gave six options on the Telangana question and decided to hold an all-party meeting.
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Thursday made it clear that Telangana state without Hyderabad as its capital was unacceptable to it but offered to share the city, saying other proposed states can use it as their capital till they make their own arrangements. TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao warned the central government against creating any controversy over the status of Hyderabad city, saying Telangana without Hyderabad would be like a headless body.