Refusing to give any timeline for formation of Telangana, the government on Monday promised to look into all issues of concerns like the status of Hyderabad and sharing of river water. Replying to clarification in the Rajya Sabha on an earlier statement by the government on the issue, finance minister P. Chidambaram said “I cannot give a date. The process will be taken forward in accordance with the procedure and precedence.” He was asked by Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley on whether the government was determined to form the new state despite opposition from within and outside.
Mr Chidambaram, however, said this process will not take as long as it took while forming the states of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, which took about two years.
“Every political party’s view will be kept in mind before the government takes a decision on how to take forward the process of Telanagana formation,” the minister assured the House on behalf of an indisposed home minister Sushilkumar Shinde. With Opposition attacking the ruling party of trying to score political points and acting in an “autocratic” manner, Mr Chidambaram said, “The more you accuse the Congress party, the more you abuse the Congress party, the Congress party will become stronger and stronger.”
Hitting out at those opposing the decision, he said, “These are matters in which politics overtakes reason and logic. You are damned if you do, you are damned if you don’t.”
On allegations that Congress had not done its homework on Telangana, he said, “The government has done its homework by delegating the responsibility to a responsible Committee.”
He said, “The Srikrishna Committee has given us enough material in order to come to a comprehensive decision. They have focussed on matters concerning health, river waters of the three regions of Andhra Pradesh. There is a separate chapter on Hyderabad.”