Thaindian News

New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS) The top brass of the Congress party held a series of meetings here through Wednesday to discuss the Telangana issue, party sources said here.
The Congress core committee first met at the prime minister’s office in parliament. Party president Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Congress chief’s political secretary Ahamed Patel attended the meeting, the sources told IANS.

Party’s in-charge of Andhra Pradesh Veerappa Moily, who is also the union law minister, was also present during the meeting.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K. Rosiah met Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Gandhi at her residence later in the evening.

Rosaiah told reporters that the issue of the division of his state was in the hands of the central government. He said he briefed Gandhi and other senior leaders about the situation in the state. “I have also personally appealed to (TRS Chief) Chandrasekhara Rao to end his fast.”

A meeting was also held at the prime minister’s residence between Manmohan Singh and Rosaiah, informed sources said.

None of the party leaders spoke of any decision taken during the meetings.

Tension spiralled in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh Wednesday with orders clamped against assembly of four or more people at a place and police taking control of universities to quell protests in favour of a separate state.

Telangana Rashtriya Samiti leader K. Chandrasekhar Rao is on a “fast-unto-death” for 11 days, demanding a separate state.