HYDERABAD: More than the differences between chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana, Congress high command emissary Vayalar Ravi appeared more worried about Telangana issue on Day 2 of his troubleshooting visit.Most of the representations he received Wednesday were on Telangana. A delegation of Telangana Congress MPs led by former Rajya Sabha member K Keshava Rao, a grouip of ministers led by panchayat raj minister K Jana Reddy and a 10-member legislator group led by Kitchannagari Lakshma Reddy met Ravi and made it clear to him that it would be requiem for the Congress if it did not support separate statehood for Telangana.Ravi also heard arguments against bifurcation from minister T G Venkatesh. Later Venkatesh told mediapersons that Ravi had told him that the party would take a decision on Telangana soon after the forthcoming byelections.Later, Ravi conferred with Kiran Kumar Reddy upon the latter’s return from Delhi and sought his views on solving the Telangana problem and facing the challenge posed by Jagan Mohan Reddy.On Thursday, Ravi is planning to visit East and West Godavari districts where byelections are due.Earlier Wednesday, Ravi drove to Chiranjeevi’s residence and had breakfast with the MP while discussing the tactics by which the former actor can win Kapu votes for the Congress to make up for the departure of the Reddys to the Jagan camp.Congress leaders who met Ravi on Wednesday said he appeared to have been sent on this mission to assess pros and cons of keeping the state united or dividing it into two states.The delegation of Congress MPs said said after their meeting that they pressed their case for Telangana forcefully. G Vinod said, “Changing the chief minister or the PCC president does not concern us. What we want is a separate state.” Another MP S Rajaiah said, “The party needs surgical treatment. Ayurvedic treatment will not serve any purpose.”The MPs and MLAs wanted Ravi to convey to the high command that if Telangana is not delivered, the party will meet the same fate as in 1994.
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