Congress mull over two options on T - TeluguPeople.com News

Hyderabad: The Congress high command has reportedly adopted a two-pronged strategy to tackle the Telangana agitation. One aspect of the strategy was to ask Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy to deal with the striking employees in a stern way by using all the resources at his command.

The second aspect is taking the prolonged dialogue with the leaders of the Congress party from Telangana, Coastal Andhra and Rayalseema to a logical conclusion and find a solution to the vexed problem. The high command feels that the first measure is needed in order to achieve the second goal.

Ever since the chief minister returned from Delhi, he has been talking to the officials and goading them into taking strong action against the striking employees. As a result, there was a crackdown on the leaders of the agitation who were going to Kothagudem and Godavarikhani to meet the striking miners.

Police were seen using force against the agitators at Sircilla in Karimnagar district, Aleru and Nakarikel in Nalgonda district yesterday. The top police officials held and media meet and held out threats at the leaders of the agitation saying that the law would take its own course if anyone violated it.

The Government has been trying to split the unions. It has succeeded in bringing about a division in the RTC employees with one section calling off the strike. Teachers are being pressurised to call off the strike stating that the parents are becoming restless.

The government which tried to use the farmers against the power sector employees who were on strike resulting in power cuts is now using the parents against the agitating teachers.

In Delhi, on the other hand, the sub-core committee of the Congress party, which has been holding parleys with party leaders from Andhra Pradesh on Telangana question, is understood to have zeroed in on two options to be presented to Mrs Sonia Gandhi.

According to sources, the first option is to convey to the Telangana leaders that the party cannot decide in favour of dividing the State, whatever may be the political price it (the party) has to pay.

The second option is to offer to divide the State and form a committee of eminent persons, who are considered neutral on the emotional issue, to decide the fate of Hyderabad, supposed to be the bone of contention.

The eminent persons who are acceptable from Telangana have to be suggested by the Seemandhra people and those from Seemandhra have to be named by the Telangana people.

In the case of Mrs Gandhi accepting the first option, the Centre would go in for the constitution of the second State Reorganisation Commission (SRC) and refer to it the demands of separate statehood for Telangana, Vidarbha, Bundelkhand, etc.

The second SRC was mooted by the Congress when it was in opposition and was incorporated in the party's manifesto in 2004. Later the UPA Government said it would try for a consensus on Telangana and formed a committee headed by Pranab Mukherjee.

That committee did precious little and Justice Srikrishna committee also did not come up with any tangible recommendations. That was the reason why the Congress high command had to take up consultations in a big way to arrive at a decision and finalise the party's stand on Telangana.

In the meanwhile, some kites have been appearing in the sky. One of them is a proposal, purported to have been discussed by some unnamed AICC leader with K Chandrasekhara Rao (KCR), president of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), to make Hyderabad a Union Territory for five years. KCR has been discussing this point with some of his confidants.

The response has been mixed with some leaders rejecting the proposal outright and some others saying that the UT status for Hyderabad for five years could be accepted provided it is specifically mentioned in the constitutional amendment that after the lapse of the stipulated five years time Hyderabad would automatically become part of Telangana state.

The five years should be utilised by the leaders of the new State to build a capital city of their own. KCR is understood to have expressed serious reservations on this proposal.

He might make his views clear on the 12th when he is likely to meet the Congress leaders. He is slated to leave Hyderabad for Delhi on Tuesday evening. MIM has already rejected this idea of UT status for Hyderabad.

Another proposal supposedly made by the Congress high command to KCR is to merge the TRS with the Congress. This aspect was also discussed by KCR with his well-wishers. KCR might say 'yes' for the merger if the main demand for Telangana statehood is conceded by the Centre.

The 'rail roko' programme was postponed by a couple of days on account of pressure from the Centre. Chidambaram has reportedly conveyed to the TRS boss that any disruption to railways would be viewed seriously and advised him to put the 'roko' off for some days as there is a possibility of the party high command arriving at a decision sooner than later.

If the TRS and the political JAC agree to the second option, the party would adopt it as its policy and announce it. Otherwise, the party would seek six months time to be able to come up with a fresh proposal.

Insiders say that Mukherjee has been raising questions beyond Telangana. He is basically opposed to Chidambaram and the latter's way of handling the issues.

The finance minister was unhappy at the midnight statement made by the home minister on December 9 two years ago. Mukherjee says the problems facing Hyderabad are there in other metropolitan cities also.

For instance, the non-Maharashtrians living in Mumbai have problems with the Siva Sena and non-Kannadigas of Bangaluru have been receiving threats from zealots led by Vatala Nagaraju. The finance minister was arguing that the party should come up with a comprehensive plan for all the metropolitan cities in the country.

Though this is an issue which could be taken up at a later stage, Mukherjee is not opposed to the second option. But if the Telangana protagonists reject the second option, the Centre would perhaps go for the first option of second SRC and deal with the agitation with iron hand.

That the suppression of a peaceful movement, instead of finding a political solution, would have serious repercussion is another matter.