Solution to Telangana row only by November

Congress leaders from the Telangana region who have submitted their resignations to press their demand for a separate state said that a permanent solution to the issue may come about only by November. This is the indication that they have got from the Congress high command, sources told rediff.com.

While there are attempts being made by the party high command to begin a process by August, the leaders said that the entire process may be completed only by November.

The Congress at New Delhi is trying various options to ensure that the disgruntled leaders from the region take back their resignations. However, one of the leaders who was at New Delhi, said that they cannot settle for anything less than the formation of a Telangana state.

"If the Union government is speaking about packages, it will not suffice the purpose. We will not take back our resignations until the state is formed. Moreover, we have made a promise to the people of Telangana and there is no going back on that," the leader said.

Meanwhile, Telangana Rashtra Samithi general secretary Subhash Reddy said that the government will have no option but to divide the state of Andhra Pradesh.

He said that the reports that they have been getting is that the state will be divided and Hyderabad would be a common capital.

"The TRS has no problems with this provided it is only for five years. We are getting the right signals from the central government regarding the formation of Telangana, but it is to be seen how much time they would take," Reddy said.

He also said that the government will need to take into consideration the opinion of the rest of the MLAs too. There are attempts being made to hold meetings with the MLAs from the rest of Andhra Pradesh and there is no option but to come to a final settlement, he added.

Meanwhile, there is pressure mounting on the government and the rumour mill is abuzz that Andhra Pradesh may go into President's Rule by the end of the month. However, sources in the government have rubbished such reports, claiming that these rumours were floated by pro-Telangana activists.

"What has worried the government even more is that there is a clear divide today which one can see in Hyderabad. Moreover, some of the Telangana activists have been telling us that Andhra officials will not be tolerated henceforth in the region. It is time they leave this place and work in their region," he said.

"The Telangana activists have become more aggressive. There have been instances where members of the non-Telangana fraternity have been attacked and this rift within the state is only proving to be an ugly affair. Moreover, the situation is likely to worsen from July 25 onwards when the Telangana activists will forcibly pull down boards bearing the name Andhra Pradesh state and replace it with Telangana state boards," he added.