A group of Congress legislators from Telangana on Sunday called on Union minister and AICC incharge for Andhra Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad and appealed to him to expedite the process of forming a separate Telangana state.
Mr Azad, during his two-day visit to the city, attended the party coordination committee meeting on Saturday and held parleys with state ministers, MLAs, MLCs and other party leaders on Sunday.
A group of party MLAs from Telangana met Mr Azad and told him the Telangana demand must be acceded without any further delay. “We told him that separate Telangana demand be accepted without delay. We are not ready for any (development) packages as a solution,” T. Kavita, a Congress MLA from Telangana region, told reporters here.
Leaders of the pro-Telangana employees of Andhra Pradesh government met Mr Azad earlier in the day and demanded that the bill for the formation of separate Telangana be introduced in the Budget Session of Parliament.
Mr K. Swamy Goud, a leader of the Telangana employees, quoted Azad as saying that the Congress high command is unable to take up the issue now, as it is pre-occupied with the Assembly elections in five states. Mr Azad, who is the Union health minister, has been holding consultations with party leaders from across the state, in a bid to find an amicable solution to the contentious issue.
Senior Congress Rajya Sabha member V. Hanumantha Rao met Mr Azad and urged him to increase the representation of the weaker sections in the state Cabinet and government.