Srikrishna to insist on views

Though both the Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Mr D. Srinivas, and the Telugu Desam chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, have avoided submitting reports on behalf of their respective parties to the Justice Srikrishna Committee over the state’s bifurcation issue, they cannot escape from the responsibility for long.

The Srikrishna panel has decided to hear from the parties themselves, especially from the party presidents, on the contentious issue. It has sent letters to all the eight recognised political parties representing the state for a one-on-one meeting.

To start with the committee invited the TRS for a meeting on April 16 at New Delhi. It has specifically asked the party chiefs to see that not more than 10 leaders are sent for these meetings to help it discuss issues relating to division of the state in a cordial atmosphere.

On April 22 and 23, the committee members will meet the TD, CPI, CPI (M) and the Indian Union Muslim League party leaders at Hyderabad to ascertain their views on a “party basis”.

It will hear the Congress and other parties during its next visit to Hyderabad. Till now, the Congress and Telugu Desam leadership

had allowed several delegations within the party to submit their individual and group-wise representations to the Srikrishna committee without bothering to offer the party’s stand on the issue.

This was because party leaders from different regions were divided over the issue and the party leadership tried to avoid getting into trouble by presenting a united stand on the state’s division.

In fact, the Committee wrote to all party leaders to submit their reports with the party’s perspective. Except for these two parties, the six other recognised parties had submitted written representations on behalf of their parties.