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The United Progressive Alliance government on Wednesday said a solution to the contentious Telengana issue is 'under discussion' but refused to set a timeframe for it.
Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily said the issue is under discussion but the government has not yet arrived at a decision to the issue, which hogged the limelight following violent protests by the Telanagana Rashtriya Samiti and an indefinite hunger strike by its chief K Chandrasekhar Rao.
"It (the solution) is not decided yet. It is under discussion," said Moily.
Asked whether a solution will be arrived within a day or two, the minister said, "We have not decided yet. Then how can I say that the issue will be solved within a day or two? How can I give you a timeframe?"
However, he expressed confidence that the issue will be resolved, stating that all problems have a solution. The agitation for a separate Telengana state gathered momentum recently with violent protests by TRS and student organisations.
Moily, who is also in charge of Congress affairs in Andhra Pradesh, had on Tuesday held hectic consultations with almost all the 12 Congress Members of Parliament from Telengana region, who favour the immediate creation of a separate state.
With the Telangana issue taking a major political turn, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today called a meeting with his senior ministerial colleagues to discuss it. The meeting was called hours after the Rajya Sabha witnessed uproar over the deteriorating condition of TRS leader K Chandrashekar Rao, who is on an indefinite fast over the demand for the creation of Telengana.
Creating ruckus in the House and forcing its adjournment, Bharatiya Janata Party members questioned the government's sensitivity to the issue and warned that if anything untoward happened to Rao, the Congress will be to blame.
Earlier in the day, Dr Singh discussed the issue with a few Congress leaders from Andhra Pradesh. Congress president Sonia Gandhi also urged senior party leaders from Telangana region to be patient on the separate statehood demand. She made the remarks to a group of MPs from the state who called on her to greet on her 64th birthday in New Delhi.
Gandhi discussed the issue with senior party colleagues including Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram and Moily on Monday.