New Delhi, Dec 24 (IANS) The Congress continued to grapple with divisions in its ranks on Telangana with senior party leader K. Keshav Rao stating Thursday that there would be no compromise on separate statehood and the MPs were “even prepared to sacrifice their lives” for the cause.
Rao, who is All India Congress Committee (AICC) incharge of Jharkhand, told reporters here that the government can mollify people in Andhra Pradesh who were opposing the creation of a new state but “there should be no compromise on Telangana”.

His remarks came after Congress MPs from Telangana met Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, to protest the government’s decision Wednesday to put on hold the process of creating the new state.

The MPs had met in the morning and decided to hand over their resignations to Sonia Gandhi to protest the government’s decision to put Telangana on hold.

Prabhakar Ponnam, Congress MP from Karimnagar, said in the evening that the Lok Sabha MPs from Telangana had faxed their resignations to the party president. “We have faxed our resignations,” he said. However, Congress sources refused to confirm if the MPs had sent their resignations.

Speaking on behalf of the MPs, Rao said: “We want the government to give Telangana. People are upset.”

Rao is a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee, the party’s highest decision making body, and a Rajya Sabha member.

“There is no change (in stand) as far as MPs are concerned,” he said, adding “they are prepared to sacrifice their lives, their careers (for Telangana).”

The Congress leader also dismissed suggestions that the government was thinking of setting up a state reorganisation commission. “That is impossible,” he said.

“People have been injured in police firing today. As public representatives we have to take note of the sentiments of people,” he said.

The MPs from Telangana also met Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Wednesday that the government had decided to hold wide ranging discussions on Telangana in view of divisions in political parties on the issue. The government had initiated the process to carve out a new state earlier this month, triggering protests in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh.