What does Chandrababu Naidu walking out of NIC over Telangana mean?
New Delhi: Suddenly, TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu has become very serious about Telangana. He staged a walk out at the National Integration Council meet on Monday, as he was not allowed to debate the Telangana issue. Venting his ire against the Congress, he said that Andhra Pradesh is burning because someone wants to reap political gains."I just wanted to know what was happening in the Centre, but I was interrupted midway. Andhra Pradesh is burning, people are agitating. Isn't this an issue to be raised at NIC?" he asked.An angry Naidu said when he raised the issue, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi objected to it and told him that NIC was not the forum to discuss the Telangana issue. Gandhi was immediately joined by Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde in preventing Naidu to raise the issue of bifurcating Andhra Pradesh.The TDP chief said Chidambaram told him that he would not be allowed to speak on Telangana in the NIC meeting and if he wishes, he can walk out of the meeting, which he did."My point is, if I am not allowed to speak such a serious issue in such a forum where top leadership of the country is present, where will I go," he asked. Naidu said there is continuous tension in entire Seemandhra and protests and strike has crippled the region.Only a day before, he had blamed the Congress for the present turmoil in Andhra Pradesh, saying, “The Congress has created the crisis for political gain without a thought for people's issues and their problems."Telangana seems to be his plank to target the Congress. With his constant charges against Congress, the former CM of Andhra Pradesh has indicated that he is looking for an alliance to consolidate political forces against the UPA. Amid speculation that his party is moving closer to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu had on Sunday said that his meetings with CPI veteran A.B. Bardhan and JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav did not have a political agenda.“My meetings are only to explain the situation in state and nothing else. But TD will play a key role in the 2014 elections in national politics," he said.But what's significant is his meeting with BJP president Rajnath Singh which, Naidu claimed, was to discuss Telangana.On Sunday he said that he has been spending sleepless nights over the current crisis in the state after the Centre’s decision to bifurcate the state without addressing the genuine concerns of other regions.There have been many issues raised with regard to the bifurcation like sharing of river water, but the Congress has said that it can be addressed after the process is over.The Congress Working Committee, which met on July 30, passed a resolution requesting the Centre "to take steps in accordance with the Constitution to form a separate state of Telangana...within a definite timeframe".However, after the CWC decision, there have been continuous protests in the non-Telangana parts of Andhra Pradesh against the decision to carve out the new state. The just-concluded Monsoon Session of Parliament also witnessed strong protests by Congress and TDP MPs from the Seemandhra region against any move to divide Andhra Pradesh.The Union Cabinet is expected to give its approval for creation of Telangana soon. The Cabinet, after giving its approval to the creation of a separate Telangana state, will set up a Group of Ministers (GoM) to go threadbare into the issues arising out of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.That is likely to be followed by a resolution being sent to Andhra Pradesh Assembly regarding the formation of the new state. After formation, Telangana will be the 29th state of India.
Post new comment