Cong won't buckle under pressure on Telangana

The Congress core committee has decided it would not buckle under pressure or do anything in haste on the complex Telangana issue. Top Congress sources also claimed there is no indication of party president Sonia Gandhi cracking under pressure on this issue.

“If we succumb now, similar demands will be raised from other areas. It is a different issue if the assembly passes a proposal like it happened for Jharkhand or Uttarakhand,” a top UPA leader told HT.

In the core committee a reference was even made on the 1971 situation, when the Telangana movement had gained momentum while the Congress faced general elections for the fifth Lok Sabha.

In 1971, the Congress had just one seat from the Telangana region (Telangana Praja Samithi won 10 seats). But Indira Gandhi otherwise swept the election.

The political context of 1971 and 2011 are entirely different. However, a section of the party feels it would rather brave an election than buckle under the pro-Telangana pressure now.

A section of the party thinks, if at all a second state reorganization commission (SRC) needs to be announced, it too, won’t be done in haste. “It can be our last option before facing polls,” said a senior leader.