Even as she was visibly unnerved by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi parting ways with the United Progressive Alliance, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday said she was open for a dialogue on creation of an independent state of Telangana.
The party, which has four members in the Lok Sabha and which fought the 2004 general election in alliance with the Congress, decided to part ways with the UPA on Saturday, charging the UPA government of not paying any heed to its long pending demand for carving out Telangana state out of Andhra Pradesh.
While skirting any direct comment on TRS withdrawal of support to the UPA government, Sonia observed, "We will still continue towards working on a consensus on the Telangana issue."
She told a press conference in Nainital at the conclusion of a conclave of chief ministers of Congress-ruled states, "As far as Congress is concerned, we cannot take any decision on the issue alone; it has to be discussed at the UPA level."
"What is necessary is that consensus has to be arrived at on the issue and our doors are always open for talks on the issue," she added.