New Delhi: Making it the government's final decision, a parliamentary bill for creation of Telangana state having 10 districts was cleared by the Union Cabinet tonight.
The decision came after the week-long flip-flops by the rulling Congress and the UPA government with reports emerging of GoM proposing Rayala Telangana by adding two districts from Rayalaseema instead of Telangana.
Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram made it clear earlier on the day that the Union Cabinet has already approved Telangana and there were no plans to form Rayala Telangana.
Speaking media persons after attending the Congress Core Committee meeting here, Chidambaram described the reports in media about Rayala Telangana as false and baseless. “Where is Rayala Telangana and who said it? What we will do if the media writes stories without checking facts?" he asked.
Chidambaram said that the Centre has already cleared the proposal for formation of Telangana State with 10 districts and there were no changes in the plan.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi held consultations with top party leaders in the Congress Core Committee meet. The decision to withdraw the Rayala Telangana proposal seems to have come out from this meeting.
A delegation of Congress and TRS MPs from Telangana region met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday and conveyed their apprehensions over inclusion of the two districts with the proposed Telangana state.
"We called on the Prime Minister to urge him to carve out the new (Telangana) state as per the decision of CWC," said Ponnam Prabhakar, Congress Lok Sabha member from Karimnagar. We have emphasised that Telangana should have only 10 districts, he added. The delegation comprised nine MPs, including two from Rajya Sabha.
Indications after the Group of Ministers (GoM) meeting on Telangana on Wednesday were that the issue of creation of Rayala Telangana was still open and it was for the Cabinet to take a final decision.
Rayala-Telangana envisages adding Anantapur and Kurnool districts to the proposed state of Telangana. The idea was suggested by some Congress leaders as a way to address problems like water sharing that are involved in the division of Andhra Pradesh.
Source : Deccan Chronicle
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