Chandrababu Naidu meets Pranab on Telangana issue

Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday met President Pranab Mukherjee and leaders of political parties in an attempt to find an amicable solution to the problem of division in Andhra Pradesh and creation of Telangana state.

In a memorandum submitted to the President, Naidu accused the Congress of handling the "sensitive issue" with "political motives."

He alleged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also treated division of the state as "an internal affair of Congress party and failed to find a solution to the crisis".

"In view of the precarious developments in the state, I have written to the prime minister on August 9 and August 28 requesting him to resolve the issue amicably by building reconciliation between the agitation groups. But there is no tangible action from the government of India so far to resolve the crisis," the TDP leader said.

He said when the people of the state are going through "trauma and agony", it is expected that the Prime Minister would take a proactive role as a statesman to resolve the issues.

Instead, the prime minister's advice to APNGO leaders to meet (AK) Antony Committee to air their grievances is "inappropriate" as the Antony committee is meant for resolving the internal disputes of Congress party, Naidu said.

"Thus, the handling of the sensitive issue by the Congress party with political motives has led to further intensification of agitations organised by the people themselves," he charged.

Seeking an amicable solution to the issue, he told Mukherjee that it was necessary to discuss the issue with various Joint Action Committees, civil society organisations and other stakeholders from both sides--Telangana and Seemandhra regions.

Naidu sought the President's intervention to direct the Centre to "immediately discuss" with agitating people from both the sides and address their concerns to find an amicable solution to the "burning problem" in the state.

Earlier, Naidu and his party leaders, including TDP legislative party leader Nama Nageshwar Rao and other members of Parliament and members of Legislative Assembly, discussed the situation in the state with Communist Party of India-Marxist leaders Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Karat said, "We are all concerned about the situation. We want an amicable and speedy resolution of problem".

He asked the Central government to resolve the crisis. Naidu said there has been "total uncertainity" in Andhra Pradesh for the last four years and alleged Congress was trying  to utilize the prevailing volatile situation in Seemandhra and Telangana regions for their "political gain".

"The Congress, for their political advantage, is destroying the state," the former Chief Minister charged citing the possible merger of Telangana Rashtra Samiti with Congress in Telangana region and the ruling party's alleged move to patch up with the YSR Congress party headed by Jaganmohan Reddy in Seemandhra region after the Lok Sabha polls.

"No department is functioning in Andhra Pradesh including cabinet ministers and the chief minister. Even the government of India failed to take any decision," Naidu alleged.

Image: Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu with TDP members at the Rashtrapati Bhawan