Thaindian News

New Delhi, Oct 10 (IANS) Popular Andhra Pradesh actor Chiranjivi Monday met the members of the Congress core group and stressed on “an early decision on the Telangana issue”.

Chiranjivi, who recently joined the Congress, had met party general secretary Rahul Gandhi Oct 7.

On Monday he met members of the Congress core group including Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, in Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s office to give his feedback on the ongoing agitation to carve out a separate Telangana from Andhra Pradesh.

“I gave my views to the senior leaders. I told them the government should take a decision at the earliest as there is a lot of disturbance in the region,” Chiranjivi told reporters after the meeting.

Later, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is party’s in charge of Andhra Pradesh, said the issue has been discussed with the state leadership and consultations would now be held at the national level.

“It is a complex issue and any solution will take some time,” Azad told reporters.

Chiranjivi’s meeting Monday was part of the consultative process undertaken by the government to find a solution to the vexed issue amid the ongoing agitation for a separate Telangana state.

The government had Oct 7 received feedback from Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan and state Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy.

After the meetings, the government ruled out the option of president’s rule in the state.

Congress leaders from the state have also briefed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the pros and cons of the demand for a separate state.