Wary of its severe implications, Congress spokesperson PC Chacko on Sunday sought to control damage on the Telangana issue by insisting that it was very much on the UPA’s national agenda.
He claimed his statement on Saturday was misunderstood and misconstrued. Chacko’s remark came even as three Congress MPs from Telangana region condemned his statement and said they would not hesitate to quit if the party leadership does not take a decision on statehood demand by May 30.
Insisting that the Telangana problem is very much on the UPA’s national agenda, Chacko said the party is aware of the sentiments of the people from that region and a decision will be taken as soon as the ongoing consultation process is over.
In a statement, Chacko said his comments on Telangana on Saturday at a Press conference were misunderstood and misconstrued as if the issue is not a part of the UPA’s agenda. Explaining his comments, Chacko said he had been listing the various milestones and reforms introduced by the UPA in accordance to its manifesto when in reply to a question on Telangana, he had said that it is not part of the manifesto.
He said some newspapers had then gone on to report that Telangana is not a part of the national agenda, responding to which he issued the clarification. In the meantime, upping the ante, Congress MPs M Jagannath, G Vivek and S Rajaiah, who met in Hyderabad to discuss the Telangana issue, served an ultimatum yet again.
“We want to make it clear to Congress high command that if no decision came on Telangana issue by May 30, our action plan will be towards taking a tough decision. We would not even hesitate to quit the party,” Jagannath said.
Though they had set such deadlines earlier too, Rajaiah said this would be the final one. They also condemned Chacko’s statement.