Click to play videoNew Delhi: The all-party meeting called by the Centre to resolve the Telangana impasse began in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Representatives of Congress, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the Praja Rajyam Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) are meeting Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to discuss and find a solution to the demand for statehood to Telangana.
Setting the agenda for the meeting Chidambaram appealed that the agitations and bandhs taking place in Andhra for the last 45 days must stop and normalcy restored. The Home Minister also dismissed all charges against the Centre acted in haste on the Telangana issue.
"It is not true that political parties were not consulted and that I acted in my individual capacity. We must recognise the fundamental importance of restoring normalcy in Andhra Pradesh. There must be a halt to agitations and bandhs," said Chidambaram.
Both Andhra Chief Minister K Rosaiah along with TRS President K Chandrasekhar Rao, who had gone on fast in December 2009 demanding statehood for Telangana, are attending the meeting.
The agenda of the meeting is to ask the parties not to agitate violently over the statehood issue.
While TRS along with MLAs and MPs of all the political parties from Telangana regions are in favour on a separate state, those from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema are against the bifurcation of the state.
During the meeting Chidambaram is likely to put forward proposals aimed at making both the pro and anti-Telangana factions happy.
Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee President D Srinivas said before the meeting with the Home Minister that the agenda was to prepare a roadmap for consultations.
In the meeting the Centre may propose a presidential reference to the courts on the question of separate statehood, and seek a legal opinion.
On the political front, the Congress has received feedback from within the party that no Second States Reorganisation Commission is favoured.
Instead a panel may be proposed to come up with a solution to the separate statehood issue in a time-bound manner.
Issues like a development package for Telengana and greater power sharing could be examined. Even the possibility of a Deputy Chief Minister for the region could be worked out.
While TDP is divided on idea of a separate state, the Praja Rajyam Party wants a united Andhra. MIM is not in favour of Telangana either while the BJP openly favours it along with CPI and CPI-M.
Late on Monday night Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee met Chidambaram, Andhra Chief Minister K Rosaiah, Andhra Congress President D Srinivas and Ahmed Patel to work out a common strategy.
Rosaiah had also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday and discussed the issue.
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