Press Briefing Thursday, 10th Dec 2009

Shri Abhishek Singhvi addressed the media today.

Shri Abhishek Singhvi said that the Congress party welcomed the initiation of the process in respect of the formation of the state of Telengana because it was based upon an emerging consensus and that is why the first logical step had to be the expression of that consensus in the form of a resolution of the State Assembly. He said that this was the logical first step which alone could take things forward and everything else would follow. He said that the Congress party was and has been very concerned about the health and well-being of Mr. K. Chandra Shekhar Rao.

To a question, Shri Abhishek Singhvi said that the Congress party's stand was the most consistent of any party in the country or in the State of Andhra Pradesh on the Telengana issue. The TDP made it a flank of its founding that it was opposed to the creation of Telengana and opposed it very strongly and then did a complete flip- flop in the recent past. He added that the BJP did not even shed a crocodile's tear on this issue from 1998 to 2004. He further said that the CPI and the CPM opposed it and subsequently in 'Mahakutumb' some of them diluted their stand. The Congress party on the other hand in writing said that it was not at all opposed to the idea of creation of Telanagana and would promote it provided there was a consensus. He explained the Congress' logical stand on the issue saying that a State of Telengana actual, real or potential could not come about without two levels of consensus i.e. consensus in the State Assembly for passing the resolution and more importantly passing the Constitutional Amendment in Parliament by 2/3rd majority. That consensus had emerged as recently as last week he said.

To a question, Shri Abhishek Singhvi said that one was jumping too many bridges before even coming close to them and the question of status of Hyderabad, demarcation, Constitutional Amendment were secondary questions and one had to first get through the primary stage of a resolution in the state assembly. There was no question of getting into nitty-gritties right now he said. He further said that these things do not happen instantly and in the natural progression of time things would settle down.

To a question, Shri Abhishek Singhvi said that the Congress party's decision taken on Telangana had cannot be equated to decisions in respect of other states and regions in India like Harit Pradesh, etc as these were matters which were conceptually, factually and contextually different and hence could not be linked remotely to the Congress' stand on Telangana.

Tom Vadakkan

Secretary, AICC