New Delhi/Hyderabad, Feb. 12: The Centre on Friday announced the terms of reference for the Justice B.N. Srikrishna Committee, saying it would examine both the demands for a separate state of Telangana as well as a united Andhra Pradesh.
The panel, headed by Justice B.N. Srikrishna (Retd), has been given till December 31 this year to submit its report. Both the terms of reference and the tenure of the panel angered the Telangana Rastra Samiti, which alleged that the Centre had succumbed to the pressure of the Andhra businessmen.
"The terms of reference are not in favour of Telangana and it is only aimed to water down the issue," said TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao in Hyderabad.
Interestingly, leaders fighting for a united Andhra were also not impressed by the terms of reference, saying they would only create animosity between people.
The five-member committee will have its first meeting in New Delhi on Saturday to develop a roadmap taking into account the deep division in all political parties in Andhra Pradesh on the emotive issue.
The seven-point terms of reference mandated the committee to review the developments in Andhra Pradesh since its formation and their impact on the progress and development of the different regions of the state.
It will "examine the situation with reference to the demand for a separate state of Telangana as well as the demand for maintaining the present status of a united Andhra Pradesh."
The panel, constituted on February 3, will examine the impact of the recent developments in the state on different sections of people, such as women, children, students, minorities, other backward classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
It will also consult all sections of people, political parties and civil society organisations "to identify the optimal solutions for this purpose and to recommend a plan of action and a road map".
Meanwhile, the TRS slammed the Centre’s inclusion of Samaikhya Andhra in the Srikrishna Committee’s terms of reference.
"Where is the need for a useless committee to go into the Samaikhya Andhra issue," asked Mr Chandrasekhar Rao. "The only agitation is for separate Telangana and the one in Rayalaseema-Andhra region is a counter agitation that has no moral or ethical base. The Centre does not seem to be bothered about the deaths of 300 people. It
is pretending as if nothing has happened in Telangana."
Mr Chandrasekhar Rao said there was no mention of Union home minister P. Chidambaram’s statement of December 9 granting statehood. He also hit out at the Centre giving the panel 10 months to submit the report. "What shall we do for 10 months," he asked. "Sit idle like a barber without work and shave a cat’s head?"
The TRS politburo has decided to meet on Saturday to chalk out its course of action. The Telugu Desam leaders from Telangana are also up in arms against the Centre. "The terms of reference are not in consonance with the aspirations of the people of the region," said Dr Nagam Janardhan Reddy, deputy floor leader of the TD. "We will decide on resignations after consultations in the JAC."
However, TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu said he would study the terms of reference before commenting.
Meanwhile, the leaders of Rayalaseema and Andhra felt the Centre had created a wedge between people of both the regions and there was no "consensus" word in the terms of reference. "Chidambaram had advocated Telangana state in his book and he is going by that," said Dr M.V. Mysura Reddy, senior TD leader and MP.
Age Correspondents