Telangana Cong MPs meet top party leaders

New Delhi, Jan 12 (PTI) With the party and the governmentgrappling with the issue of Telangana, Congress MPs from theregion pressing for creation of a separate state tonight had ameeting with top central leaders.

At least 14 MPs from the region met Finance MinisterPranab Mukherjee and discussed the issue. Defence Minister A KAntony and AICC in-charge for Andhra Pradesh M Veerappa Moilywere also present in the meeting.

The meeting comes a day after the former party MP Y SJaganmohan Reddy organised a one-day fast here, which wasattended by two dozen Congress MLAs of which some alsobelonged to Telangana region.

Sources said that the earlier plan was to meet each ofthe MPs individually but they insisted on meeting together.

The MPs, who met the party leaders included senior leaderK Keshava Rao, Madhu Yakshi Goud, Ponnam Prabhakar andSukhender Reddy.

Congress high command appears to be adopting a wait-and-watch approach on the challenge thrown up by theSrikrishna Committee on Telangana, which has given variousoptions including keeping the state united as well asformation of a separate Telangana.

The party is banking heavily on newly installed ChiefMinister Kiran Kumar Reddy to tackle the situation giving morethan hints that it was an "acid test" and if he could provehis leadership, it would be better for him and the party. PTIAMR SPG