HYDERABAD: The worst fears of Telangana activists have come true. At a time when they were expecting a favourable announcement, AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday poured cold water on their hopes, saying “it is not an easy issue to solve.”Azad’s comments gave the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) fresh ammunition. Its leader Etela Rajender said a new action plan would be announced Tuesday at a meeting of the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC).“By saying that division of the state is not easy, the Congress has once again made its stand known that it is against Telangana,” he observed and asked: “If Telangana is not easy, why did the Congress forge an electoral alliance with us in 2004? Why did they make the Dec 9, 2009 announcement?”.Azad made the remarks during an interaction with journalists in Delhi.He said he had heard the opinions of leaders of both the regions for two days when he visited Hyderabad recently. “Telangana leaders wanted a separate state and Andhra leaders insisted that the state remain united. It is a problem which cannot be solved easily,” Azad opined.He also disapproved of deadlines that Congress MPs had been setting for the party leadership to make an announcement on Telangana. He wanted them to “realise the compulsions of a national party before raising a demand.” He said he would talk to them again and make them see reason.The TRS and suspended TDP leader Nagam Janardhan Reddy reacted on expected lines. The Congress MPs, however, were guarded. Rajya Sabha member K Keshava Rao, who is leading the Congress MPs from Telangana region, said: “Azad did not say Telangana will not be given. He merely said it will take time.” But he also said any delay might cause irreparable damage to the party’s prospects in the region.“If a decision is announced now, it might not harm the prospects of the party in Andhra region,” he opined.“In Kadapa, we lost deposit in the by-elections. Has the delay in announcement of Telangana helped us there?” he questioned and maintained that all the 17 Lok Sabha seats in the region would go to the Congress in 2014 if the party announces a decision in favour of Telangana.He reiterated the resolve of the Congress MPs to press for the cause. “We will go to Delhi on June 10 and impress upon the party high command the need for an early announcement on Telangana.We will meet again on June 25 to decide our future course of action,” he said.Nagam Janardhan Reddy said if the Centre delayed Telangana anymore, people would not allow Congress leaders to visit villages. “They will be externed from villages,” he warned and said he would raise the issue at the Telangana Nagara to be held in Adilabad on June 13.
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