Gossip: Formation of a separate state of Telangana may be just two years away!

NEW DELHI: The Centre may be loathe to admit it at this juncture, but the formation of a separate state of Telangana may be just two years away. The home ministry, which is working on the formation of a committee to thrash out a roadmap, is expected to hold at least two rounds of consultations with the stakeholders.

Although the two sides of Andhra Pradesh are engaged in mobilisation and counter-mobilisation, the Centre is aware that it cannot wriggle out of the promise. The Congress leadership, which debated the issue before home minister P Chidambaram made the statement on December 9, had endorsed the idea of splitting the state. But protests that ensued the announcement forced the government to recalibrate its stand.

There is expectation that tempers will cool down in the coming days. It would provide the government the required elbow room for kicking off the ground work for bifurcating the state.

But there is acknowledgement that status of Hyderabad would prove to be knotty. The Telangana proponents have already said the city is non-negotiable. According to them, Hyderabad is the heart of Telangana, both historically and geographically.

This could prompt the government to moot the idea of according a UT status to Hyderabad on the lines of Chandigarh. But unlike Chandigarh that shares borders with both Haryana and Punjab, Hyderabad lies deep within the proposed Telangana area.

Leaders from Andhra and Rayalseema, who made huge investments in Hyderabad, are certain to resist the idea of ceding Hyderabad to Telangana. Incidentally, much of the protests by Congress leaders over Hyderabad had its genesis in the “assets” issue.

Meanwhile, TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao met Mr Chidambaram this afternoon to discuss the statehood issue. “It was a satisfactory meeting,” Mr Rao told reporters after deliberations lasting 30 minutes. Mr Rao also said he would be meeting the prime minister in a day or two.

source: economictimes