Weeping MPs fall at Pranab feet: Give us Telangana

Mukherjee had called the MPs on Wednesday evening for a meeting,which was also attended by Ahmed Patel,political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi,Union Law Minister and party in-charge in Andhra Pradesh M Veerappa Moily,and Defence Minister A K Antony.

Mukherjee told the MPs that he was yet to see the report of the Srikrishna Committee,and would meet them again after he had done so.

The MPs told the Congress leadership that the movement that started in 1969 had gathered great momentum over the past year. Karimnagar MP Ponnam Prabhakar broke down in tears while swearing loyalty to the party,but underscored that the people of Telangana would settle for nothing less than statehood.

His voice choking with emotion,Nizamabad MP Madhu Goud Yaskhi described the people’s yearning for Telangana. He stopped midway,to go out and splash water over his face and eyes,before returning to continue with his case.

At one stage,Warangal MP Rajaiah Sircilla and Secunderabad MP Anjan Kumar Yadav,along with some other MPs,fell at Mukherjee’s feet,entreating him not to throttle the “aspirations of the people”. A greatly embarrassed Mukherjee protested,“Please,don’t… Don’t do it.”

The MPs also told the party leadership that Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhar Rao was set to up the ante,and could even go on another fast and get his MLAs to resign to pressurize the Centre.

Mukherjee asked the MPs not to make any plublic statements until the party took a final decision on the issue.

An MP who was present at the hour-long meeting told The Indian Express,“We don’t know what decision they will take but they were certainly moved by the strong sentiments in favour of a separate Telangana state.”

A two-term MP said,“The first time I got elected because of the party,but the second time I could win only because of my support for Telangana.”

The strong emotions came in the wake of a perception among Telangana MPs,MLAs and other leaders that the Congress was not inclined towards a separate Telangana.

“We were never consulted,even as people like Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and Governor E S L Narasimhan were in touch with the party leadership,giving all kinds of arguments against Telangana. We have tried to reason with the central leadership that backtracking now could cost us dear in this region. I am sure that after today’s meeting,they will understand the sentiments of the people of Telangana,” said another MP.

Earlier in the day,Chief Minister Reddy had said the MPs from Telangana “reflected the sentiments” of the people of that region,adding immediately that the sentiments of leaders from non-Telangana regions for a united Andhra reflected,equally,the sentiments of the people in those regions.

The Indian Express had reported on Wednesday that the Srikrishna Committee has argued in favour of a “united Andhra”. As some MPs referred to this report at today’s meeting,Mukherjee said that they should not go by media reports,as the government was yet to take a final call.