Digvijay warns partymen against talking about Telangana in public

Hyderabad, Sep 20 (UNI) AICC General Secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh affairs Mr Digvijay Singh today warned Congressmen against talking about the sensitive Telangana issue in public and said those who violated the warning would attract disciplinary action.

Talking to mediapersons after the extended meeting of PCC executive and the Congress Legislature Party, hurriedly convened in view of the ongoing verbal dual between party MPs from the Telangana and Andhra regions, Mr Singh said today's meeting had authorised party president Sonia Gandhi to take an appropriate decision on Telangana.

As such, partymen were forbidden to make statements in fora other than the party's even in the face of worst provocation, he said and added the 'slanging match' has to be stopped forthwith.

Mr Singh alleged that the TRS, the electoral ally of the Congress which had accepted the constitution of second States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) for deciding on the issue of formation of Telangana state during the elections, had gone back on its commitment.

He said the matter was included in the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of the UPA as the TRS had agreed for the second SRC.

Replying to questions, he said a consensus could not be arrived at on the formation of Telangana as the CPI, CPI(M) and the AIMIM were against it.

He denied that the Congress had taken the support of the BJP for getting the legislation for the formation of the Legislative Council in Andhra Pradesh passed in the Parliament.

He said the Congress never sought the BJP support for the legislation.

Asked if the party was trying to persuade the TRS chief and former Union Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao to withdraw his resignation to the Lok Sabha, Digvijay Singh answered in the affirmative.

Replying to a question if Congress would field a candidate for the Karimnagar Lok Sabha seat, Mr Singh said ''the seat is not vacant yet.'' UNI SM/JRK VA KP1448