Congress appeals for calm in Andhra Pradesh

As violence broke out in the Osmania University on the Telangana issue, the Congress on Wednesday appealed for peace and urged politicians to rise above narrow choices for the larger interest of Andhra Pradesh and the nation.

The party issued the appeal at its routine press conference here. Pointing out that an active comprehensive process to draw views and generate consensus “to the extent possible” on the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh was on, party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said: “It requires an act of statesmanship to rise above narrower personal choices and preferences.”

Asked about the government’s silence on the issue after the January 5 all-party meeting convened by Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Mr. Singhvi said there were no quick-fix solutions.

Comprehensive process
Refuting the charge that the Congress had messed up matters, he said: “You are seeing a very measured, calibrated and a very carefully considered response in a very comprehensive process. Let us not oversimplify things and give one-liners. There is a process going on and we all owe it to ourselves and to the people of Andhra Pradesh to contribute to that process rather than look for quick fix magic button solution.”

Just as he was unwilling to speculate on the next course of action the Congress-led government was planning on the vexed issue, Mr. Singhvi refused to be drawn into setting a time frame.

Asked whether any announcement could be expected before January 28 — the deadline set by the Joint Action Committee for Telangana — he urged the media not to confine such a complex issue to time capsules.

Non-committal
Though Mr. Singhvi was non-committal on the time frame, the Congress core group decided last week to lie low on the issue till January 28.

Taking another step before January 28 would send out the message that the party had succumbed to pressure tactics, a perception it wants to avoid after the December 9 statement, which many regard as a panic reaction to Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader K.Chandrasekhara Rao’s fast-unto-death.