No movement,Azad talks of more T talks -Says A Decision On The Statehood Issue Can Be Taken Only After National-Level Talks

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The Congress on Friday issued conflicting signals on what it proposed to do on the demand for dividing Andhra Pradesh to create Telangana,with AICC general secretary and incharge of the state Ghulam Nabi Azad stating that a decision on the contentious issue can be taken only after national-level consultations.We have completed talks with leaders of all parties from all the regions in the state.But a decision will be possible only after completion of national-level consultations, Azad told the media in Chennai.He,however,did not specify any time-frame or the people to be involved.A decision will be announced soon, is all Azad had to say.Azads statement has come as a dampener for those expecting a forward movement after Bakrid,as announced by Union home minister P Chidambaram last week.Clearly,both the UPA government and the Congress high command,either intentionally or out of helplessness,are giving impression that they do not know how to handle the issue, said a Congress leader from Telangana. Notwithstanding some discordant voices,senior Congress leaders from both sides of the divide are slowly veering round to the idea that the Congress would ultimately come up with a second States Reorganization Commission (SRC) to douse the Telangana fire.The TRS has already rejected the idea and threatened to intensify its agitation if the UPA government went ahead with it.Meanwhile,PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana,who is in New Delhi,said on Friday that he would abide by the party decision on Telangana.As PCC president,I cannot hold a separate view on the issue.Whatever the party says is my view, he told the media.Earlier in the day,Botsa had a long meeting with Azad after his talks with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday. SC notice to Centre,AP,TRS on T protests The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to the Centre,AP government and TRS on a PIL seeking direction to authorities to prevent rail and road blockades and pay damages for properties destroyed by protesters during the agitation for a separate state. (Source-toi)