Exclusive! Congress to announce Telangana state by January

[alok agarwal]

Vicky Nanjappa

The Congress seems to have realised that a decision on Telangana cannot be delayed any further. A formal announcement on this could come by January 2013. Vicky Nanjappa reports

The demand for statehood for Telangana is likely to become a reality very soon if highly-placed Congress sources are to be believed.

Party sources in New Delhi told rediff.com that a decision announcing the creation of a Telangana state will be made very soon.

There are no further discussions on the anvil. The matter has been discussed and debated at length by Ghulam Nabi Azad and members of the Congress from Andhra Pradesh before a decision was arrived at, sources said.

Although no time frame has been given so far for the announcement, many are expecting that it could take place in January 2013.

The Congress finds itself on a sticky wicket in Andhra Pradesh. The battle for Telangana has been on since the past five decades and thousands have lost their lives for the movement.

Telangana is the largest of the three regions in Andhra Pradesh and covers nearly 41 per cent of the total area. It contributes to 76 per cent of the state's revenue.
http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-exclusive-congress-to-announce-telangana-state-by-january-2013/20121218.htm