Telangana-Congress MPs Threaten To Resign

Three Congress MPs from Telangana region have threatened to resign if the Congress High Command fails to decide on the Telangana statehood issue by May 30.

The MPs - Manda Jagannadham, S Rajaiah and Dr. G Vivek - who held an unofficial meeting-of-sorts at Vivek's residence on Sunday, said that they would resign from the party and their posts if the party leadership fails to clear its stand on the statehood issue before the set deadline (May 30) expires. The meeting was held in view of AICC spokesperson P C Chacko's recent statement that Telangana was not part of UPA's "Common Minimum Programme".

Since the year 2009, the Congress has been under heavy scrutiny - by the public and the opposition - after it remained fairly ambiguous regarding it's stand on the Telangana issue.

But, this year, Congress spokesperson P C Chacko left the pro-Telangana groups and activists stunned when he said that the formation of a separate Telangana state was never part of the party's agenda, and was not a part of the Common Minimum Programme. Chacko said that as there were no promises made by the party, none stand broken.

Talking to reporters later, Jagannadham asked Chacko to clarify what prompted him to make such a statement, and whether Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were aware of this.

If not, Chacko should immediately withdraw his statement, he said. Stating that the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi have brought up the issue of Telangana several times, he expressed his confidence in the notion that they had no role in Chacko's statement.

The Congress MPs said that the Congress party shall be wiped out from the region if it fails to honour the promise of giving statehood to the Telangana region. (INN)