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The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Defence Minister A K Antony and Law Minister M Veerappa Moily, besides senior PMO officials, sources said. The meeting assumes significance as the five-member committee led by Justice Srikrishna is likely to give its report on Friday suggesting "several options with their pros and cons" on the statehood issue.
Justice Srikrishna, a former Supreme Court judge, has expressed hope the report will bring out a permanent solution to the issue relating to bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. The committee was constituted by the Centre on February 3 to look into the demands for the creation of a separate state as well as keeping Andhra Pradesh united.
The Andhra Pradesh government had on Tuesday announced it would withdraw all cases against pro-Telangana students, who were in the forefront of a violent agitation earlier this year.
The government move came after Congress members of Parliament from Telangana region went on a fast in support of the students, a move to win back the confidence of Telangana people in the Congress as the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led Telangana Rashtra Samiti has been trying to hijack the statehood movement.