T Cong leaders prepare for Delhi's 'last visit'

Congress leaders from the Telangana region will visit the national capital on September 26 to convince their party's high command to take an immediate and favourable decision on formation of Telangana state.

If the leaders are to be believed, then this would be their last visit to New Delhi on the issue. Speaking to media after the meeting of Telangana Congress Steering Committee held at the residence of Rajya Sabha MP K Keshava Rao here on Thursday, the Congress leaders claimed that their Delhi visit would be the last one in the series of attempts they made to convince the Congress High Command on Telangana formation. "If we fail to achieve Telangana this time, then the party would face serious consequences in the entire region," Nagarkurnool MP Manda Jagannatham said.

The Congress leaders will hold a dharna at Mahatma Gandhi's statue in New Delhi on September 26 demanding statehood for Telangana. They will hold a rally from Gun Park to the State Secretariat on September 23 to express solidarity with the 'Sakala Janula Samme' or general strike. The press conference was addressed by MLAs Damodar Reddy and G Venkat Ramana among others.

Meanwhile, sources say that the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy too has been summoned by the Congress High Command on September 26 to discuss the Telangana issue and the general strike. But, sources added that in-charge of Congress affairs in Andhra Pradesh and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad will be visiting Hyderabad on September 26. However, Azad will be on an official visit and therefore, he might not meet his partymen or discuss Telangana issue during his stay in the State capital.