By Murali Krishnan, IANS
New Delhi : In the face of the heat on the demand for a separate Telangana state with even Congress leaders from the region training their guns on him, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy says it is up to “the party high command” to take a call on the issue.
“It is before the party high command. They will consider all aspects of the matter before arriving at an informed decision. People have different perceptions and it is not easy,” Reddy told IANS in an exclusive interview.
“This is a serious question. Some people believe that the state must be divided. All things are being considered.”
Reddy, popularly known as YSR, arrived here Monday and met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. He refused to comment on whether at this point he personally favoured the creation of Telangana.
“I will not be in a position to say anything about that now,” he replied firmly.
On the question of Telangana supporters within the Congress accusing him of betraying the confidence of people of the region and whether he was hurt by such allegations, YSR said some members in the party were “impatient”.
“They are not personally against me but on this issue. I think they are a little impatient because it cannot be decided so easily.”
Party veteran G. Venkataswamy is spearheading the attack against Reddy and has called upon people of Telangana to launch an agitation. Congress MP Madhu Yaskhi, leader M. Satyanarayana Rao and legislator Purushottam Reddy have also lashed out at the chief minister.
Over the last few days, senior leaders rallying behind Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Venkataswamy have upped the ante over the demand for a separate state.
The veteran Congress leader has even threatened to quit his post if the high command failed to make a concrete statement on Telangana.
Queried about his discussions with the Congress president on the Telangana issue, YSR said he could not divulge details. However, sources close to the chief minister’s office said he had reportedly requested Gandhi to convene a meeting of the CWC to discuss Telangana.
Reddy also refused to disclose whether he could provide a time frame on when and if Telangana would be a reality.
“You cannot fix a time limit on this. It is not an easy question to answer. We do not know.”
Telangana region is in the northern part of Andhra Pradesh constituting Hyderabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Mahaboobnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Ranga Reddy and Warangal districts.
The region is one of the least developed regions in India with rampant illiteracy and poverty. The agitation for a separate statehood for the region is now four decades old.