Congress ministers from Seemandhra seek President's intervention

New Delhi: A delegation of ministers, MPs and MLAs from Seemandhra region of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday met President Pranab Mukherjee and sought his intervention on the Telangana issue amid reports that the Centre may go ahead with formation of the state without a resolution from the Assembly.

The 30-member delegation met Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan and submitted a memorandum to him on the issue. They expressed their apprehension that the Centre may go ahead with formation of Telangana even before the Andhra Pradesh Assembly passes a resolution to give its affirmation.

These legislators are opposed to Telangana and hope to defeat the resolution to prevent division of the state. "We are expecting that both the resolution on division of the state and on the bill on Telangana will be referred to the state legislature for review first as required by the Constitution," Andhra Pradesh Primary Education Minister S Sailajanath said after the meeting Mukherjee.

He said there are rumours in the state that the Centre is planning to by-pass the Andhra Pradesh Assembly and form Telangana without taking the majority view of the House. He termed any deviation of conventions and provisions as "undemocratic". "If it happens the same is most undemocratic and unconstitutional against the true spirit of our Constitution," he added.

Sailajanath stressed that no state in India is formed against the resolution of the state. "Former Home Minister P Chidambaram, in 2009, had stated that the process of forming the state of Telangana will be initiated with an appropriate

resolution will be moved in the state assembly," he recalled.

Targeting the Centre, Sailajanath charged that a unilateral decision has been taken to divide Andhra Pradesh. "In spite of opposition and not heeding to the sentiments of people in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, the Centre took a

unilateral decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh and carve out the state of Telangana."

It is our strong belief that the Government of India is not taking the leaders of Andhra Pradesh into confidence, he added.