Ready for talks on Telangana: KCR

Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K Chandrashekhar Rao on Tuesday said he is ready to hold talks with the Centre but will not accept any committee to look into the Telangana issue.

"The Centre should immediately come forward and find a solution. We demand that it sticks to its earlier statement. We are not ready to accept any committees. Except wasting time, these committees serve no purpose," he said.

Rao, however, said he is ready to hold talks with the Centre.

"The patience of Telanagana people need not be tested unnecessarily. If Delhi wants to discuss with anyone, that is okay. Both regions are ready to come. We have that much patience. We have experts and people with wisdom. We will discuss the matter in the Joint Action Committee and send our representatives," Rao said.

The TRS president was talking to reporters at the Raj Bhawan after calling on new state Governor E S L Narasimhan. Rao demanded that the state government should immediately withdraw the alleged false cases slapped on students and others agitating for a separate Telangana state.

"The state government should honour the announcement made by Home Minister P Chidambaram to withdraw the cases filed against students. How long does it take to withdraw the cases? The government can withdraw the cases at one go if they are willing to do so," he said.

Taking exception to Chief Minister K Rosaiah's reported remarks that the state is losing badly due to the ongoing agitation for Telangana, Rao said the government should take the first step to establish peace by withdrawing the 'false' cases.

"Charity begins at home. They should withdraw the cases and contribute for peace. They cannot continue to seek peace by foisting false cases," he said.

Rosaiah said he explained to the governor the need for forming a separate Telangana state. The meeting lasted for nearly two hours. The governor promised to look into the issue and appealed to all to help restore peace in the state.