Congress MPs defy leadership, campaign for Telangana openly

Win over Pawar and seek to influence other union ministers

GN Bureau | February 24, 2010


File photo of heavily guarded Osmania University in Hyderabd, which is the hub of pro-Telangana agitation
File photo of heavily guarded Osmania University in Hyderabd, which is the hub of pro-Telangana agitation

A group of 10 Congress MPs seem to have won over NCP leader Sharad Pawar in their fight to get statehood for Telangana on Tuesday.
 
These MPs are part of the Joint Action Committee which is opposing the terms of reference of the Srikrishna committee set up to examine the issue on the ground that the central government had gone back on its decision to grant statehood to the region. They are boycotting the committee's proceedings.

During their meeting with Pawar, these MPs sought to convince Pawar that the Srikrishna committee would not serve any purpose other than delaying a decision and creating more confusion. At one point of time Pawar jokingly said it were the Congress union ministers who
were doing a flip-flop on this sensitive issue.

These MPs have now decided to meet one union minister per day during the budget session and explain to them the gravity of the situation.
 
Pawar was in central hall of parliament. He asked MP Jagannathan about the agitation in Hyderabad. Soon Sarve Satyanarayana,Dr Vivekanand
Venkataswami and Ponnam Prabhakar joined them. Rajagopal Reddy and Jaganmohan too joined them with some others.
 
Just before this these MPs had "gheroed" the congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi. Singhvi tried to persuade them by saying not to insist on resignation and put the leadership in a spot.
 

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