NEW DELHI/HYDERABAD: For the first time since Dec 9 2009, when it let the genie out of the Telangana bottle, the entire top leadership of the Central government gave their undivided attention to the separate state agitation on Saturday. While the Prime Minister and the home minister heard a situation report from governor E S L Narasimhan, the Union government’s chief troubleshooters -- Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram, A K Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel -- posed pointed questions to a succession of government and party leaders from the state. The latter included: chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, deputy chief minister Damodar Rajanarsimha, PCC president B Satyaranarayana, former PCC president D Srinivas, Union ministers S Jaipal Reddy, Kishore Chandra Deo, Pallam Raju, D Purandeswari and Panabaka Lakshmi.At the end of a long day, there was no indication of the drift of their thinking, except that serious intra-party consultations have begun and will contineu Monday. After an exhausting day, Pranab Mukherjee and Ghulam Nabi Azad told the media that the consultations will continue with more interviews with other party leaders from AP. Sources said the troubleshooters will report to UPA chariperson Sonia Gandhi Sunday evening on what they learnt from the AP leaders on resolving the Telangana issue.Azad and Mukherjee both refused to be tied down to a deadline for the solution. “I cannot give a timeline,” Azad said. “We met nine important leaders from Andhra Pradesh today and we will be meeting some others on Monday. The process is on. It will take some more time.”From the interviewees themselves there was little indication of the Centre’s thinking. Kiran Kumar Reddy refused to divulge the nature of the questions asked of him or the replies given, stating only that he wished the solution to be amicalble and in the interest of the people of Andhra Pradesh. Jaipal Reddy too kept his cards concealed, revealing only that he had given a frank assessment of the situation back home.Each of the leaders interviewed said they answered what was asked, which begs the question what the Central leaders may have learnt from them that they didn’t already know. Sources said the questions didn’t relate to the sentiments of the people on either side of the divide -- which are clear as daylight -- but what the fallout of a bifurcation or status quo might be. In her aside to the media microphones, D Purandeshwari hinted what Union ministers from coastal Andhra might have submitted: “As Mr Pranab Mukherjee has said, there are some difficulties in creating a new state.” More Seemandhra leaders such as Kavuri Sambasiva Rao and K Chiranjeevi have been invited to make their submissions in the days ahead.Altogether more significant was the briefing by governor Narasimhan to UPA government leaders. The guv is said to have rendered a three-page report containing eight points. Sources said he informed the Centre that economic and infrastructure development has been held up due to the strike and suggested caution in taking the final decision. He Both Narasimhan and Ghulam Nabi Azad, and then Kiran Kumar Reddy ruled out president’s rule in AP. The chief minister is said to have been told to go handle the current agitation in Telangana, while the big men tackle the big question.
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