Presidential election gives Telangana the traction it needs

Of late there is a buzz that the Congress is likely to announce a favourable decision on Telangana after Presidential elections. It has started all of a sudden and no one knows the source but every one keeps saying that a decision is possible on Telangana.

Those who met party president Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders including Ghulam Nabi Azad in the recent past, say they have a gut feeling that the party high command will announce a decision on Telangana. But those who are sober, feel that the hype that Telangana is going to become a reality is being viewed as a ploy, used by the Congress to ensure that Telangana votes go to Pranab Mukherjee and not to P A Sangma in the presidential elections. Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha, who is from Medak district said: “The Congress will announce Telangana after Presidential election. Similar opinion was expressed by Nalgonda MP Gutta Sukhender Reddy

But there are others from the T-region who doubt their claims. “I do not know why everyone is saying a statement that Telangana would be a reality. I too have met Sonia Gandhi. She has not dropped any hint. I do not know what is going on in her mind,” Rajya Sabha member Palvai Govardhan Reddy said after his audience with her recently.

The Congress is also taking enough care not to rattle the people on the other side of the divide with some leaders saying that before taking a decision on Telangana, the party leadership should take into consideration the kind of impact it would have in other parts of the nation where there are similar demands. “The Congress will weigh the implications at national level before committing itself to Telangana. It will talk to people from different regions of the country before taking a decision,” Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy said at an interaction with the media persons the other day, indicating that there might be delay in formation of Telangana state.

Ever since it became certain that there would be a contest for the election of President of India, the political managers of the Congress stepped up their efforts to woo Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) which has two MPs and 17 MLAs.

Though TRS leader K Chandrasekhara Rao during the budget session of Parliament said his party would vote against the UPA candidate since it went back on its promise of delivering Telangana, these days he seems to have changed his mind, thanks to the persuasive skills of the Congress leaders.

Chandrasekahr Rao has been saying that there was no need for agitation for Telangana anymore since Telangana would be announced after the presidential elections. “It is just a mater of time. There is no need for any agitation for Telagnana,” KCR said. His comments are being viewed as his attempt of making the Congress MPs and MLAs too to vote for Mukherjee since more than the Congress leadership, they listen to him with attention because of his leadership of the Telangna movement. “The Congress leaders have thus made the Telangana Congress MLAs and MPs  fall in line. The TRS votes are already in their kitty,” one Congress leader said.

YSR Congress and Telegu Desam Party have to keep in mind that if they vote for Sangma they fear to lose the minorities votes. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, the Congress allay has already pledged its support to Pranab Mukherjee.