Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday said that the Centre would respond on the demand for separate Telangana state as soon as possible.
Addressing his monthly press conference, Chidambaram appealed to the MPs from Telangana region, including his partymen, to allow the Parliament to function while their demand could be discussed. "We will respond as soon as possible on the Telangana State," he said in reply to a question about Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj asking the government to list out the steps taken by it on the issue in the House.
Chidambaram said the ruling party had to take the "unfortunate" step of suspending its own MPs from Telangana for four days. "Our appeal is to let the House function. Whatever discussions have to be held can be held outside the House. They are always welcome to meet the leaders who are dealing with the Telangana issue like Ghulam Nabi Azad and now Vayalar Ravi. They are available for discussions," he said.
Chidambaram said the Centre understands the concern of Telangana MPs. However, while the matter gets discussed, they should allow the House to run. “The Central Government is very sincere in resolving the issue,” he said and added “an all-party meeting can be convened as soon as the four political parties arrive at a consensus on the issue.”