Hyderabad: The Group of Ministers (GoM) on Telangana will wrap up the consultation process on the state’s bifurcation on Monday after hearing the views of Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and all Union ministers representing the state separately.
A defiant Reddy, who has already stated that he will oppose the state’s division tooth and nail before the GoM, is expected to present his views forcefully on all 11 terms of references connected to the bifurcation.
According to sources, instead of offering suggestions on how to go about the process, the Chief Minister will pose difficult questions to the GoM and seek their views. He will address the media thereafter to disclose the details of the meeting.
Reddy, who returned to the capital on Sunday after attending Rachchabanda programmes in four districts, was confined to his residence giving final touches to his arguments.
After Monday’s meeting, he will return to the state in the evening itself, indicating that either he or the Congress high command does not want to thrash out the issues.
The GoM, after concluding the consultations with the Union ministers and the Chief Minister, will go ahead with finalising the Telangana Bill on November 20.
Meanwhile, Union ministers from Telangana S. Jaipal Reddy, Sarve Satyanarayana and P. Balaram Naik, who had a series of meetings with Congress leaders from the Telangana region, on Sunday finalised their viewpoints in response to the Terms of References.
“We have only one voice, there are no differences and we will submit only one report to the GoM,” announced Jaipal Reddy.
He said that without compromising the interests of Telangana, they would not make any such demands, which were un-implementable or which would dilute the “just” demands.
Seemandhra ministers for UT status
The kind of unanimity among the Union Telangana ministers is absent among Seemandhra Union ministers who will meet an hour before their meeting with the GoM.
Though most Seemandhra ministers will agree for a package of schemes for their region in lieu of “foregoing” a united AP and will to insist on a Union Territory status for Hyderabad as long as it continues to be the joint capital for both the states, this demand is being opposed by Union Tribal Affairs Minister Kishore Chandra Deo.
Telangana ministers too are opposed to declaring Hyderabad as a UT and will only agree to limit the Hyderabad Revenue District Area as the joint capital for a limited period.
