Azad hints at long drawn consultation process

In a sure sign that the Centre would not be rushed to taking an early decision on the separate Telangana statehood demand, Congress In-Charge of Andhra Pradesh Affairs Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday said that an all-party conclave is unlikely to take place soon.

Talking to a private television channel, Mr Azad said that the Centre will first talk to the people of Andhra Pradesh. “We will talk to the leaders of other political parties and the people of the different regions. We will not jump straightaway to an all-party meeting,” the Union Minister said.

“It (separate statehood demand) is a sensitive and complex issue. It requires wider consultations,” Mr Azad stated and added that his meeting earlier in the day with the Congress Legislators who resigned on Monday was very cordial.

When asked by the channel if the mass resignations had left the UPA government facing a stability crisis, the party In-Charge for AP Affairs said that the problem had remained for some time now. The solution requires wider consultations he said. “We will have to start these consultations soon. Even the Legislators had asked me why the consultation process has not been expedited,” Mr Azad said.