Home Minister P. Chidambaram today appealed to political parties in Andhra Pradesh to help the central government find a solution to the Telangana issue and made subtle hints that Maoists would be happy if they failed to find a solution.
In his opening statement at a meeting of eight recognised political parties from Andhra Pradesh, he said the agenda is to "deliberate on the mechanism and lay down a road map for the consultations".
"I urge each of the political parties represented here to show accommodation and goodwill. Ultimately you must find the answers and you must help the central government find a solution."
He said though the agenda for the meeting may appear limited, he was confident that "if we take one step at a time we will, eventually, find a solution".
The Minister asked the parties to give their views on what is the mechanism and the road map for consultation among parties and groups.
Apparently hinting at Maoists, he said "I wish to caution all political parties that there are forces waiting on the wings who ridicule parliamentary form of democracy and who would be happy if we collectively fail to find answers to the issues that concern us and we should not give any room for these forces to gain strength or credence."
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K. Rosaiah, TRS leader K. Chandrashekhar Rao, actor-turned-politician and PRP leader, Chiranjeevi, and his associate C. Ramachandraiah, K. S. Rao and Uttamkumar Reddy (both Cong) and Y. Ramakrishnadu and R. Prakash (both TDP) are among those attending the meeting.
Andhra Pradesh BJP unit chief Bandaru Dattareya and his colleague Hari Babu, B. V. Raghavalu and J. Rangareddy
(CPI-M), K. Narayanan and Malesh (CPI) and Asaduddin Owaisi and Akbaruddin Owaisi of MIM are also attending the deliberations.
Restore normality
Mr. Chidambaram said that while the parties deliberate on issues and take forward the process of consultations, they must recognise the fundamental importance of restoring normalcy in Andhra Pradesh.
"There must be a halt to agitations and bandhs. Law and order must be maintained. Children must go to schools and colleges. People must be allowed to carry on their normal day-to-day activities," he said.
The Minister said the government must be able to focus on development and welfare of the people and it was in the interest of all sections of people of Andhra Pradesh that peace and harmony prevail while consultations take place.
"Let us demonstrate the strength of our democracy and the capacity of our political parties to resolve differences and find solutions," he said.
At the outset, Mr. Chidambaram also sought to dispel a number of misconceptions which he said were there on the Telangana issue.
"There is a misconception that the central government acted in haste; that the political parties were not consulted; and that I, as Home Minister, acted as an individual. As you are all well aware, none of these misconceptions is supported by facts, but I shall not waste your time refuting these conceptions," he said.
A long history
Mr. Chidambaram said there was a long history behind the demand for a separate state of Telangana and referred to the reports of the States Reorganisation Commission, the Gentleman's agreement of 1956 and the amendment of Article 371(1) of the Constitution.
He also mentioned the six-point formula of 1973 and the introduction of Article 371-D in the Constitution.
The Home Minister said in the elections to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly in May 2009, the political parties outlined their positions in their respective election manifestos.
"The central government was concerned when an agitation was started in November, 2009 demanding a separate state of Telangana," he said.
The Minister reiterated that the first statement on behalf of the central government was made on the basis of the minutes of the all-party meeting held on December 7, 2009.
He admitted that the situation on the ground has "altered significantly" since the all-party meeting of December 7 and the first statement on behalf of the central government on December 9, 2009.
"Taking note of the altered situation, on December 23, 2009, the central government promised to hold wide ranging consultations with all political parties and groups in Andhra Pradesh," he said.
Mr. Chidambaram said, "Let us demonstrate the strength of our democracy and the capacity of our political parties to resolve differences and find solutions".
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