Congress leaders from Telangana to discuss JAC issue

New Delhi, Feb 1 (ANI): Abiding by the ultimatum issued by Union Law and Justice Minister M Veerappa Moily that the party would act tough on them if they did not disassociate themselves with the all-party Joint Action Committee (JAC), the Telangana Congress leaders are expected to meet on Monday to discuss the issue.

Congress MLA B Sariah told the media last night that the matter would be discussed at a meeting of the leaders from Telangana, adding that the JAC was formed at the residence of senior MLA and former minister K Jana Reddy and that it never acted against the party.

Another party leader T Jeevan Reddy however said, the formation of a separate Telangana state would solve all problems.

Union Law and Justice Minister M Veerappa Moily had on Sunday issued an ultimatum to the Telangana Congress leaders to disassociate themselves from the Joint Action Committee.

Moily, had issued a statement asking the Telangana Congress leaders to stay away from the JAC, warning them of serious consequences if party discipline was not maintained.

Moily had also asked party leaders not to rush to the press on a 'sensitive' issue like this to precipitate the matters and disrupt the normalcy restored after the discussions held with all political parties and leaders by the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on January 5.

Following Chidambaram's announcement that a committee on the issue would be appointed next week, the JAC had extended its deadline to February 7 for getting the resignations of all legislatures accepted.

Earlier on Thursday (January 28), the all-party Joint Action Committee (JAC) had called for a meeting as the deadline set by the Centre for the formation of a separate Telangana state had come to an end.

The JAC had asked the Ministers hailing from the Telangana region to submit their resignations, if the Central Government did not announce the formation of a separate Telangana region in the next 24-hours.

However, there was a mixed opinion with respect to the resignation of elected representatives as per the deadline set by the JAC.

At least 77 Telangana MLAs had tendered their resignations last month to protest the Centre's attempt to put the formation of Telangana statehood issue on hold.

They had asked the UPA Government at the Centre to come out with a definite time frame for the formation of the Telangana state.

Earlier, the ministers had sent a common resignation letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi in which they pressed for Telangana statehood.

K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), the chief of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) has formed the Telangana Joint Action Committee with the help of politicians and students supporting the Telangana cause.

The Telangana crisis began with TRS chief Rao sitting on a fast unto death on November 29, 2009, demanding a separate Telangana state. (ANI)