Game to continue till 2014 elections! New Delhi: Though the Congress leadership has bitten the bitter bullet on Telangana issue, the course of events from now onwards will be more crucial from the elections point of view. With key legislation including the Food Security passed in the Parliament and Union Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde making it clear that Rahul Gandhi has already been chosen by the Congress party as its Prime Ministerial candidate, Congress is bracing for the next General elections. This, amidst reports suggesting that BJP’s Narendra Modi will be formally anointed as its Prime Ministerial candidate on September 14. As the Congress President Sonia Gandhi has returned, events are likely to pick up pace in the coming days, which could either lead to a smooth progress of the bifurcation process, as Telangana Congress leaders want people to believe …. or a stand-off will emerge midway as most of Seemandhra leaders hope. Though the UPA government at the Centre seems to be keen on implementing the CWC resolution on Telangana, things seeming to be falling in place at a leisurely pace. This can be attributed to the doubly cautious approach adopted by the Centre in this regard. Before the CWC resolution on Telangana was to come, some Seemandhra leaders including state minister S. Sailajanath had said that only a party resolution will be brought in and there will be little action from the UPA government side. But this was proven wrong, as an hour before the CWC meeting, a meeting of the UPA coordination committee was held and it emerged that the Telangana decision was that of the party as well as that of the government. The strategy of the ‘Seemandhra’ leaders with Chief Minster at the forefront, hitherto hinged on defeating the Telangana resolution in the Assembly and following it up by resignations en masse. Perhaps sensing this beforehand, the Congress high-command has planned to see that only a discussion on Telangana issue takes place and that there will be no resolution and no voting. However, buoyed by the success of their “Save Andra Pradesh” meeting held at LB stadium in Hyderabad, the APNGOs have vowed to intensify the fight for united Andhra Pradesh. They will hit the roads from September 16 renewing their demand. They have claimed that this time, the government employees will take part in agitations on a full-time basis. The Chief Minister on his part, has appealed to the employees not to proceed with their decision and ensure no hindrance to all essential services. While the Centre is all the time giving signals that the process of Telangana formation is on, some English newspapers (‘The Hindu’ for example) have reported the confusion prevailing among officials in the Union Home ministry regarding the preparation of a note on the bifurcation issue. To top it all, a PTI news report said that the “Cabinet note” is ready and is awaiting “political clearance,” quoting the Union Home Ministry sources. This, within a day after Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said that preparation of the “note” will take 20 or 30 days. Before the July 30 CWC resolution, section of the Congress leaders strongly believed that the Congress as a party will announce a decision in favour of Telangana formation. In the events that follow, including early General elections, the process of bifurcation will not move forward in any case. It is now known that Congress leadership had managed to obtain the “concurrence” of the Seemandhra Congress leaders by saying that there will be no movement forward after the CWC resolution and the Telangana decision will guide the party in its approach to the next General and state Assembly elections. This was sold as the most feasible option for the party, in view of the perceived strength of YSR Congress party in the Seemandhra region and that of TRS in the Telangana region. The oft-repeated criticism of the TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu, that the YSRCP and TRS are only B-teams of Congress, is the other side of the coin. While some senior Congress ministers and junior ministers from Seemandhra region have been vocal and vehement about their opposition to the bifurcation, most of the Telangana ministers are keeping a low profile, except for occasional “balancing” statements from Panchyati Raj minister K. Jana Reddy. Meetings conducted by the Telangana ministers have not been well-attended and some ministers say that they have no information on such meetings. On their part, Telugu Desam leaders from the Telangana regiona are also observing calm at the moment, even as Chandrababu Naidu has embarked on a “Self Respect yatra” in coastal Andhra districts. The yatra has since been temporarily put on hold. Seemandhra leaders of all parties are now hoping that one or two “blind spots” like the status of Hyderabad, will ensure delay in the bifurcation process. At a meeting of ministers with CM Kiran Reddy , it is reported that division of the state before the 2014 elections is not easy as many “legal complications” are bound to arise in the process. Some are citing Article 371(D) and the zonal system of government postings in this regard. At the national level, it is pertinent to note that the BJP has been strident in its criticism of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rather than Congress party, when it comes to the coal scam. Many in Congress believe that holding General elections earlier than scheduled, will be advantageous to the party, as it will shield the party from the “creative” and damaging criticism of Narendra Modi. Some Congress leaders feel that going for snap polls will help the party from saving its already shattered image further.
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 05:16:20 +0000
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