HYDERABAD: Congress legislators from both Andhra and Telangana regions are worried over AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad doing another Justice BN Srirkishna and finally delivering a verdict that may not be to their taste.After declaring that consultations were the only way to resolve the Telangana tangle, Azad initiated the process of wide-ranging talks with not only Telangana MLAs and MPs but also those from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.This, according to him, is intended to bring about a consensus among the leaders of the two regions so that the Congress could have one viewpoint. Recently, Union home minister P Chidambaram has said that similar exercise should be done by the Telugu Desam too and before long it too should be able to say yes or no to creation of Telangana state.But the fear that the Telangana Congress MLAs are expressing is that it could be an exercise being done to appear as though the party has concern for people of both the regions but finally the gist of the consultation process might be so moulded that division of the state may not be in the interest of the people living in any of the three regions.Since Azad had made it clear that the consultation process would be thorough and it would focus on micro- issues of Telangana as well as Rayalaseema region, the fears are more pronounced now. Azad had said that he intended to discuss each subject with groups of people who had studied the subject under consideration.The Congress legislators from Telangana see two unseen threats in this. One, the party may not be interested in delivering Telangana state and instead is using consultations as a pretext to defer a decision at least till the end of the monsoon session of Parliament.Second, the purpose of the talks might encourage leaders of different groups to come out with opinions that division of the state is not warranted now.Interestingly, Andhra and Rayalaseema MLAs too are nursing similar fears.They wonder whether the talks, which are meant for ensuing a consensus in the Congress on the issue, are in fact a tool for the party to come to a decision to divide the state.They are unable to fathom the mind of the AICC general secretary when the word reached them through PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana that Andhra and Rayalaseema leaders may meet Azad in separate groups.They are afraid that by holding talks separately, the party leadership will be in an advantageous position to say at a later date that division of the state is the only alternative to the present turmoil.As if this is not enough, the PCC president has invited Union tribal welfare minister V Kishore Chandra Deo to meet him along with tribal MLAs of the state.This is being viewed by both Andhra and Telangana leaders as something inimical to their interests.“Why should this new dimension be suddenly brought in unless the party has some other idea?” a Telangana leader said.Primary education minister S Shailajanath is categorical that holding separate discussion with Andhra and Rayalaseema leaders is not proper. “All of us (Andhra and Rayalaseema leaders) will meet him as one group. Meeting him as two groups will not serve our purpose,” he. The Andhra and Rayalaeema Congress leaders are expected to meet Azad after August 17.
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