The induction of two more proponents of a united Andhra in the UPA government on Monday,before a final call on the Telangana issue is to be taken,most likely next week,has pushed supporters of the contentious issue to try and read the Centres mind. There are 12 ministers from Andhra Pradesh in the Union government and the addition of the two ministers,K S Rao and J D Seelam,has taken the strength of anti-Telangana leaders among them to nine. This excludes Jairam Ramesh,who is a Rajya Sabha member from the state but belongs to Karnataka. Even the three ministers from Telangana Jaipal Reddy,Sarvey Sathyanarayana and Balram Naik have not been quite vocal in their support for the demand for a separate state. If you look at it from our point of view,we do feel the induction of Rao and Seelam as Union ministers could be aimed at containing the fallout in the event of the Centre deciding in favour of Telangana. But we have seen so many such signals in the past that we cant believe anything until it happens, said a Congress MP who has been at the forefront of the pro-Telangana campaign. Those opposing splitting the state have a different interpretation. They believe the induction of Rao is meant to woo the Kamma community and pacify the Eluru MP who had sent his resignation to the Lok Sabha Speaker after being denied a berth in the Cabinet during the reshuffle last year. Similarly,they believe Seelams induction is meant to send out a message to the Dalit Christian community. Pro-Telangana leaders,however,rejected this caste angle,questioning the timing of the decision. If they (Centre) were to take a call in favour of a united Andhra in the immediate future,logically,they would have chosen to promote pro-Telangana leaders and not those who have been opposing it, said a party leader from Telangana. Congress sources in Delhi,however,rejected all speculation,maintaining that no final call has been taken on this issue yet. Both sides have valid arguments and whatever decision we take would have repercussions one way or the other. All we have agreed on so far is that we cannot delay a decision any longer, said a Union minister and Congress leader. Party sources added that there is also the likelihood that the leadership may want to see the results of next months panchayat elections in the state to ascertain the public mood. While the Congress leadership is convinced about the sentiments in favour of a separate Telangana state,their biggest concern emanates from intelligence reports that Naxals have a stake in splitting the state,and creating Telangana could lead to their revival. The Congress,which won 33 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state in 2009,is,however,wary of the political costs. With the YRS Congress making a dent in the partys votebank and the TDP seemingly on a revival path,the Congress remains anxious about the political cost it might have to incur if it decides against Telangana a region that sends 17 MPs to the Lok Sabha.
