The Centre on Friday announced that a final decision on the long pending demand for a separate state of Telangana would be taken within a month. In all probability, the UPA government will decide in favour of a united Andhra Pradesh.
At the all-party meet chaired by home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, the eight parties belonging to Andhra Pradesh made unanimously demanded that the Central government take a final decision.
While the TDP, TRS, BJP and CPI favoured the carving out of a separate Telangana state, the CPI(M) and MIM opposed it. The Congress and the YSR Congress remained the only two fence-sitters who did not make their stand clear. The proceedings were recorded on camera.
“I have heard carefully from all the parties. I will brief the government on the outcome of the meeting and within one month we will come out with a result. Within one month, there will be a decision,” Mr Shinde said. Two representatives each from the Congress, BJP, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, CPI, CPI(M), Telugu Desam Party, All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and YSR Congress attended the meeting at North Block.
As the countdown begins for a final decision, top government sources said the emerging view in the home ministry after deliberations at the highest level in the bureaucracy and the security establishment is not to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh.