Sonia gets ultimatum on Telangana..t.r.s

Sonia gets ultimatum on Telangana..t.r.s

Telangana Congress leaders on Saturday issued an ultimatum to the party high command and demanded that it come clear on Telangana in public before the all-party meeting on December 28, failing which some of them threatened to quit the party.

While the ministers from the region wrote a letter to party president Sonia Gandhi urging her to make a positive statement on the creation of a separate state before the all-party meeting, the MPs and MLAs resolved to take a similar stand in the meeting held at the residence of K Keshava Rao, senior Congress leader championing the Telangana cause in the party.

The ministers and the T-Congress leaders also urged the party high command to spell out a single opinion in the all-party meeting and demanded that a single representative be sent to the meeting. While convening the all-party meeting, Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had asked the political parties to send two representatives.

"The invite is ambiguous and it is drafted as if the Centre is reluctant to talk about the division of the state. And calling two representatives from each party is like suggesting they are encouraging the divided opinion on the issue. To avert any confusion, we demand that the party high command clearly state its stance on Telangana in public and allow a single representative in the meeting," said a T- minister.

While over ten ministers have given their assent to the content of the letter, Jana Reddy, Ponnala Lakshmiah , Sridhar Babu, Sunitha Lakshma Reddy, Basavaraju Saraiah, Sudarshana Reddy and Geetha Reddy met PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana and handed over the letter to him. While ministers Sabita Indra Reddy and D K Aruna were conspicuous by their absence, ministers Danam Nagender and Mukesh Goud chose not to be party to the letter.

"While we acknowledge that Telangana is an important issue for people , as disciplined members of the party, I and Mukesh Goud didn't want to embarrass the party high command especially when a brainstorming session is being organised on Sunday to discuss the strategies to strengthen the party. We would not be identifying with such activities," Danam said.

Admitting that the T-Congress leaders were anguished at the way the party leadership was dealing with the Telangana issue, Botsa Satyanarayana said that the high command would take appropriate steps to assuage them.

However, he declined to admit that the T-Congress leaders had given an ultimatum to the high command.

"I don't know what they said to the public or the media. All I can say is that the Telangana ministers gave me the letter and asked me to convey their feelings to the high command. And their main demand was to send a single representative to the all-party meeting," Botsa said