NEW DELHI: As the Telangana crisis deepened on Monday with the mass resignations of MPs and MLAs from the region, the Centre came up with a small concession on the Free Zone issue but kept mum on the demand for a separate state.The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, met for over an hour and decided to recommend to President Pratibha Patil to repeal Clause 14 (F) of the 1975 Presidential Order. The decision enables people of the region get preference in employment especially in the police force in Hyderabad.Though this has been a long-standing demand, the decision seemed too insignificant compared to the larger aspiration of a separate state. A growing political aspiration for which 81 MLAs, including 44 from the Congress, and 10 MPs resigned earlier in the day.The MLAs, including 11 ministers, submitted their resignation letters to Deputy Speaker Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka while the MPs, nine of the Lok Sabha and one from the Rajya Sabha, submitted their resignations to Speaker Meira Kumar and Hamid Ansari’s OSD.The possibility of another T statement to give the T leaders a face-saver to withdraw their resignations was also discussed at the CCPA meeting. However, sources said, “no formal decision” was taken. Indications are that the Congress high command has taken a dim view of the day’s development. “The party and the government cannot be blackmailed, nothing on the (Telangana) issue will and can be decided in a hurry,” a senior Congress leader said, rather angrily.The high command seems to be particularly upset with Rajya Sabha MP K Keshava Rao for triggering the crisis. There is a good chance of his resignation being accepted. However, presiding officers of Parliament cannot be adopting different standards on T resignations. It needs to be seen how the Congress cuts Rao to size. On record, party spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed said, “We hope the government will take an appropriate decision at an appropriate time.”
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