AP: Parties expect PC to announce panel on Monday

As the news of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram's proposed press conference in Delhi on Monday came out, political activity in Andhra Pradesh picked up.

All parties, including the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party, expect Chidambaram to announce formation of a committee on Telangana.

Telangana Congress leaders, who met in the party legislature office in the state assembly on Saturday, chalked out strategies to adopt once the home minister officially announces a committee to study Telangana issue.

The Telangana Congress leaders expressed their displeasure over the criticism being meted out to the party by some Joint Action Committee leaders. The party had reportedly threatened it would walk out of the JAC and continue activity on their way.

Retired Supreme Court Judge Justice Srikrishna's name is doing rounds in the political corridor as the head of the proposed committee.

While the Congress welcomes the formation of the committee, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, which is opposing the formation a committee tooth and nail, said the home minister's move is a delaying tactic.

JAC convener Kodanadaram said though the deadline to put pressure on government for accepting the resignations of 129 MLAs had been extended by a week, agitations would continue.

The JAC has also demanded that the committee proposed to be appointed by the Centre should stick to a clear timeframe.

"They should commit to the December 9 programme and have a clear time-frame. These are our two expectations," Kodandaram said.

The JAC insisted on a timeframe for the completion of the task by the proposed committee, as it fears the panel may end up like the women's reservation bill, he said.

"We said some timeframe should be there. Otherwise, it would become an endless process. Like the women's reservation bill, it will never see the light of the day," Kodandaram said.

The committee should be within the framework of the two demands, he said, adding JAC has not discussed the nature of the panel.

"Within the framework of these two demands, the committee should be only for formation of Telangana. Nothing short of this will satisfy us," he said and added JAC would continue its agitation if the Centre's announcement falls short of its expectations.