The Group of Ministers (GoM) on the creation of Telangana completed the process of discussions here on Monday with Ministers in the Union Cabinet and the State Chief Minister, Kiran Kumar Reddy, appearing before the panel.
Reddy, who was trying to toe a different line than that of the Congress leadership, urged the GoM to reconsider the decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh.
Reddy later told a press conference that Telangana may not be able to generate adequate revenues to address the concerns of employment generation, agriculture, irrigation and security-related issues of the region. He maintained that division was not a solution to the socio-economic issues in the region.
The Centre said it would table the Telangana Bill in Parliament in the Winter Session scheduled to begin in the first week of December.
“We have completed the process of discussions with others. Now the GoM members will meet to discuss among themselves to finalise the report to be submitted to the Cabinet as soon as possible,” Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said.
A report of the GoM is likely to be prepared on November 21, which will be discussed in the Cabinet very soon.
Cabinet Ministers such as V. Kishore Chandra Deo and S. Jaipal Reddy also appeared before the panel with their suggestions. Deo is learnt to have told the panel that a joint capital was not a workable formula.
He proposed that Visakhapatnam be made the capital of Seemandhra.
Jaipal Reddy, who hails from the Telangana region, said Hyderabad should be “part and parcel” of Telangana. He is also learnt to have suggested that there was no need for any tribunal on sharing of Godavari river water but demanded such a panel for river Krishna.
Ministers Sarve Satyanarayana and J.D. Seelum also met the GoM.
jigeesh.am@thehindu.co.in