Telangana Congress MPs set May 30 deadline

Hyderabad, May 19: Setting a fresh deadline, three Congress MPs from Telangana Sunday asked the party's leadership to take a positive decision over the demand for separate statehood to the region by May 30.

Lok Sabha members G. Vivek, Manda Jagannatham and S. Rajaiah held a meeting here. It was also attended by senior party leader K. Keshava Rao. Later, Jagannatham told reporters that if the party failed to take a favourable decision by May 30, they would not hesitate to quit the party and join the movement.

The MPs condemned the statement by Congress spokesman P.C. Chacko that Telangana was not part of the United Progressive Alliance's national agenda.

"We strongly condemn this statement. It amounts to insulting the people of Telangana," said Jagannadham, who represents Nagarkurnool constituency. He asked Chacko to apologise for his comments.

He said that although they had set many deadlines in the past, May 30 would be the final one.

The three MPs are likely to join Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). The leadership had earlier persuaded them to wait for a decision on Telangana. Asked about other Congress MPs from the region, Jagannatham said it was for them to take a stand.

Condemning Chacko's statement, students of the Osmania University Sunday tried to lay siege to Gandhi Bhavan, headquarters of the Congress party. Police arrested the protesters who raised anti-Congress slogans and set afire an effigy of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The students demanded the resignation of all Congress MPs from Telangana. TRS leader B. Vinod Kumar also ridiculed Chacko, saying Telangana had been a part of the UPA's common minimum programme.

"If the Congress doesn't want to give Telangana, let them make it clear but to say that the issue is not on their agenda is not correct," he said.

IANS