Governor's Meet With PMO: Hint At Prez Rule In AP?

Governor E S L Narasimhan's visit to the national capital has raised speculations that the Central Government may consider imposing a President's Rule in Andhra Pradesh before introducing the Telangana Bill during the monsoon session of Parliament.

The Governor, who met President of India Pranab Mukherjee, UPA Chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and members of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Telangana on Wednesday, had a series of meetings with other important functionaries of the Central Government on Thursday.

He held deliberations with the officials of the Prime Minister's Office. However, details of what transpired during the meeting could not be ascertained.

Prior to the meeting with the PMO officials, the Governor met Union Minister Kavuri Sambasiva Rao, and discussed the latest situation in Andhra Pradesh.

He has also scheduled a meeting with Defense Minister A K Antony and AICC Vice-President Rahul Gandhi. Sources say that the Governor might also meet Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Friday after the latter returns from his foreign tour.

Sources say that the Governor, who is on a 3-day tour to New Delhi, discussed the modalities of the bifurcation of AP, to carve out Telangana state.

The Congress-led UPA Government, which has reinstated it's decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh many a times, reportedly wants to ensure that the Telangana Bill gets passed in the Parliament during the monsoon session.

However, with the changing political scenario in the state, the passing of the Telangana Bill will not be a smooth ride.

Therefore, imposition of the President's Rule is being explored as a possible option to facilitate the formation of Telangana state although this possibility was ruled out by several leaders including Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde. (INN)