"1 Month Does Not Mean 1 Month"

Putting an end to all hopes, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday indicated that the decision on Telangana might not be announced by January 28.

Talking to reporters here, Azad said that the Centre was committed to solving the Telangana issue. However, he said, it was incorrect to set the deadline for solving the contentious issue. "I don't think we should make it so compartmentalized that one month means one month. If we say tomorrow, then it should not mean tomorrow in literal a sense," he said that while referring to the one-month deadline set by Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to solve the Telangana issue after holding an all-party meeting on December 28.

Indicating that the Telangana decision will not be announced by January 28, Azad said that the Congress High Command had been occupied with the Chintin Shibir at Jaipur for about a week, and there are holidays for Milaad-un-Nabi Eid on Friday, then Republic Day and then the Sunday.

"We have been trying hard to resolve this issue as early as possible. Let's not bind on the days. This is a very important issue, which we have to solve. Once we have resolved at the national level, at the high command level, to resolve this issue, I don't think then it can be put together in the four walls of 30 days, 35 days or 40 days," Azad said.

"The bottom-line is the resolution of solving this problem. I don't think the media or people from both the regions should read that one month should mean 30 days," the union minister said adding that the Centre would try to resolve the Telangana issue as soon as possible. (INN)