No firm commitment on Telangana, Centre buys time

New Delhi : Amid demands for the creation of a separate state of Telangana, government on Wednesday decided to play safe on the issue.

"Situation in Andhra Pradesh has altered and there is need to hold wide ranging consultations with all parties on Telangana issue," says Home Minister P Chidambaram.

"Government of India will take steps to involve all concerned in the process. Meanwhile, peace must be restored in the state," says Chidambaram.

He also made an appeal for the withdrawal of all agitations in support of the issue and also against it.

Earlier, Congress said it was up to the collective wisdom of all political parties in the state to find a solution.

\"It is up to the collective wisdom of all political parties in Andhra Pradesh that they find out a solution after consultation,\" party spokesman Manish Tewari said.

He said Telangana was not a new issue as it is a four decade-old demand and successive generation of politicians have grappled with the issue of a separate Telangana.

Asked whether the government was paralysed on the statehood issue after agitation broke out in the state, Tewari said the Home Minister and the Finance Minister have already spoken on the issue of Telangana and have given whatever reaction the government had to give.

Tewari\'s remarks came ahead of a statement likely to be issued by the government today to defuse the situation in the wake of its earlier announcement of a separate Telangana.

Following the government\'s announcement, agitation have broken out in Andhra Pradesh and Congress MPs from coastal and Rayalaseema wrote letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in which they are understood to have said any \"dilution\" of stand on the separate Telangana state will have \"serious repercussions\".
News From: http://www.Time2timeNews.com