NEW DELHI: With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) backing statehood for Telangana, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi Friday discussed the festering political issue and electoral reforms at a meeting of Congress core group here.The meeting lasted for over one and a half hour, said sources.The party top brass reviewed the latest developments with a view to resolving the Telangana issue that continues to be a divisive issue in Andhra Pradesh.BJP leader L.K. Advani recently declared his party's support to the separate statehood and hoped that the dream of Telangana will be realised by New Year.Congress general secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad was also present at the core group meeting, which was attended by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister A. K. Antony, Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel.The proposal for electoral reforms, an issue that has acquired an added resonance after Team Anna's demands for the right to recall and reject elected representatives, also figured in the discussions.Law Minister Salman Khurshid, who is not a member of the core group, briefed the meeting about his ministry's proposals on electoral reforms that include barring candidates against whom charges have been framed in cases of crimes besides limited state funding of elections.The meeting of the Congress top brass took place on a day when Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao threatened to file a defamation case against Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders for allegations that he struck a "secret deal" with the Congress to "dilute" the agitation for a separate Telangana state.Launching a counter attack on TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, the TRS leader dared him to an open debate on allegations of corruption and their assets.
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