Sonia meets party leaders as Telangana issue haunts Cong again

New Delhi, June 1: With Telangana issue returning to haunt Congress, Sonia Gandhi on May 31 held deliberations with senior leaders in the wake of two sitting MPs and a prominent state leader deciding to join TRS, which is spearheading the statehood movement.

Gandhi held confabulations with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and AICC general secretary in-charge for the state Ghulam Nabi Azad and her political secretary Ahmed Patel on the issue.

Though the party remained tight-lipped on what transpired in the meeting, Congress spokesperson Meem Afzal said the party is looking into the resignation of its MPs with all seriousness and added that appropriate measures will be taken.

"The party is keeping an eye on the matter. Congress is fully cognisant of what is happening there. The party will definitely take required measures regarding whatever is happening there," Afzal told reporters here.

Gandhi's meeting with the party leaders also assumed significance as it came close on the heels of resignation of two state ministers including Home Minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy and Dharmana Prasada Rao after being named by CBI in a corruption probe.

To a specific question as to whether he was hinting at some action by the party's central leadership against these leaders, Afzal said he was not indicating any such thing and the "party will do whatever it considers appropriate."

Asked about the timing of a decision on the vexed Telangana issue, he said "an appropriate decision will be taken at an appropriate time."

PTI