T-TALKS MAKE NO HEADWAY , KCR TO WAIT FORCENTRE'S MOVE ; T-PROTESTERS VOW TO CONTINUE STIR

New Delhi/Hyderabad: The political stalemate in Andhra Pradesh over the Telangana issue continued after the meeting in the national Capital on Tuesday as the eight recognised parties stuck to their stated positions. After a marathon five-hour meeting with representatives of eight recognised political parties in the state, Union home minister P Chidambaram told the media that the parties were divided on the issue, but at the same time, added that no one is opposed to further consultations with other groups and stakeholders. Should such consultations become necessary, they were keen that it should be concluded within a reasonable time-frame . I will take their views to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other cabinet colleagues and come up with a decision or a statement from the government , Chidambaram said, but did not specify any time-frame for the announcement. Late in the night, Chidambaram met the Prime minister and submitted a report on the meeting.

Although the representatives of the political parties issued a brief joint statement appealing for peace and harmony and restoration of law and order in the state, the individual statements made by them to the media later reflected a clear lack of consensus on the vexed issue. We will react after the Centre makes its statement, TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao said, while MIMs Asaduddin Owaisi demanded the immediate imposition of Presidents Rule on the grounds that there was no governance in Andhra Pradesh. Summoning an emergency meeting here on Wednesday, Telangana JAC convenor M Kodandaram said the movement will continue peacefully until the Centre makes an announcement , but in Hyderabad, the Telangana JAC of students gave a call to all government employees and elected representatives from the region to resign from their posts on Wednesday failing which they will be prevailed upon to do so by the students and the Telangana people. The students also threatened extreme steps to carry forward the movement from Thursday onwards.

It was Chidambaram who made it clear that the issue is far from solution . In his opening statement to the meeting, Chidambaram raised the issue of law and order and tried to rein in the parties heavily polarised on regional lines. There must be a halt to agitations and bandhs. Law and order must be maintained. Children must go to schools and colleges. People must be able to allowed to carry on their normal day-to-day activities. Government must be able to focus on development and the welfare of the people, he told the parties. The home minister also raised the bogey of Maoist resurgence in case the unrest in the state continues . I wish to caution all political parties that there are forces waiting in the wings who ridicule the parliamentary form of democracy and who would be happy if we collectively fail to find answers to the issues that concern us, and we should not give any room for these forces to gain strength or credence, he said. But the bottomline of Chidambarams assertion was that the agenda of the all-party meeting is to deliberate on the mechanism and lay down a road map for the consultations . He also insisted that the Centre did not act in haste on the Telangana issue and neither that he acted as an individual.

Even as the various political groups camping in New Delhi huddled into their own meetings by Tuesday evening, an uneasy calm prevailed in both the regions of the state. While both the regions saw rail and rasta roko on Tuesday, the groups spearheading the agitation on both sides of the divide did not see the Tuesday meeting as ending the stalemate. The ball is back in the Centres court. How long will the protesters wait for a reply is anybodys guess, said a leader.

(SOURCE : TOI)