New Delhi, July 12 (ANI): The Core Group of the Congress which met here today to discuss the creation of a separate Telengana State, has communicated the outcome to the Congress Working Committee, the party\u2019s highest decision making body, which will now take a final call on the issue.
\nCongress General Secretary Digvijay Singh, who is in-charge for Andhra Pradesh, today said a decision will be taken in the working committee meet.
\nHe said the party had held wide consultations with all political leaders and the Core Group had heard Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana and Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha on the issue.
\n\u201cCongress Party has held widest consultations with all political parties, with all leaders and finally the Core Group has now met the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister and the PCC President before taking a final view. And therefore now, the Congress Party will call the working committee and take a decision,\u201d he told the media here.
\nDigvijay Singh yesterday said that the Centre has to consult UPA partners and opposition parties, as the decision might require amendments to the Constitution.
\nPrime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and other senior Cabinet ministers and leaders from the ruling party\u2019s attended the core group meeting.
\nUnion Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde earlier on Wednesday said the consultations on the demand for a separate Telangana were still on and it would take time for arriving at a decision.
\n\u201cHow can I make a comment on the core group\u2019s plan? There is a high command which will take a decision,\u201d he said, when asked whether a decision was expected from the Congress Core Group.
\nCongress MPs from Telangana have so far accused the Centre of following what they call a \u2018one-step-forward-two-backward\u2019 approach when it comes to addressing their demand for a separate state.
\nThe Centre\u2019s flip-flop over the issue began in December 2009 when the then Home Minister P. Chidambaram promised the formation of a new state only to go back on it after a few days.
\nThe issue was later pushed before a committee headed by Justice B.N. Srikrishna. This panel did not come up with a tangible solution, but instead presented six options.
\nThese included the creation of a Telangana Regional Council within Andhra, bifurcation of the state into Telangana with Hyderabad as the capital and Seemandhra with a new capital; bifurcation of the state into Seemandhra and Telangana after making Hyderabad a Union Territory; bifurcation of the state into Seemandhra and Telangana with enlarged Hyderabad metropolis as a Union Territory; bifurcation of the state into Rayala Telangana and Coastal Andhra; and maintenance of status quo.<\/p>\n\n