Srikrishna probes middle path - Telangana Panel Chief Springs A Surprise With The Remark

The Srikrishna Committee on Wednesday left both the advocates of Telangana as well as its opponents puzzled by stating that the panel can end up not recommending the division of the state or endorsing the United Andhra principle but can come up with a middle path. And what precisely this middle path could be, it preferred not to spell. You will have to wait till 31-12-2010, or 1-11-2011, Committee Chairman Justice B N Srikrishna told the media. The committee has been given time till the end of the year to submit its report.

Srikrishna said: There is a strong section which feels Telangana should be carved out of the present state and another section that the state should not be bifurcated. We may choose one of them or even come up with a middle path if possible. Committee member secretary VK Duggal in a bid to cap any controversy that could result from the chairmans statements said that a solution was being arrived at and that it was too early to say what it could be. The chairman merely said it could go this way or the other and that there can be other possibilities as well. There is nothing like Buddhas middle path. There is a middle path, a path to the left and a path to the right. What is in the best interests of the people will be done at the appropriate time, he said in a response that left everybody confused. According to analysts, the Srikrishna panel is veering around to considering a solution that may advocate greater and unique powers for the Telangana region without creating a new state. It can be on the lines of Gorkhaland that is being worked out in West Bengal. Telangana can have complete executive, legislative and judicial authority and still remain within Andhra Pradesh. This could be the thinking among the panel members, said an analyst.
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T panel looking at a compromise formula


Opinions and recommendations submitted to the Srikrishna Committee so far by various political parties and non-political organisations have boiled down to three, namely, creation of Telangana, keeping Andhra Pradesh intact as it is and either merging of Rayalaseema with Telangana in case the state is divided or the creation of three new states of Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana. Leaders who inter-acted with the panel members said the questions that were being asked by them appeared to indicate that they had some sort of compromise formula at the back of their minds. If dividing the state is not a solution and keeping it intact is not acceptable to the Telangana advocates, what can be a solution that is acceptable to both the groups. They are trying to build a consensus towards this solution, said a leader.
But with the sentiments very strong,it is not going to be that easy for the committee to convince the warring groups to accept such a solution.

For TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, nothing short of creation of Telangana is unacceptable, said a TRS leader. Perhaps sensing that the Srikrishna Committee is working towards such a solution, KCR had stated on Monday that he would resume his fast-unto-death on December 31 this year in case the panel did not recommend the creation of a separate state. And United Andhra leaders too are not willing to settle for anything less than keeping state intact. There cannot be any special treatment or exclusive powers for Telangana. The state government should take care of the under or less developed areas in all the three regions, said an Andhra leader. Meanwhile, on Wednesday,the panel members heard Andhra leaders from the TDP and members of the Telangana Freedom Fighters Forum. Srikrishna committee is slated to come back to the city for three days beginning May 17 and hear the Congress party delegations as well as non-gazetted officers and similar other groups like student JACs.
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(source-toi)