Behind The Scene: Telangana state soon?

New Delhi: The Congress has in principle decided to request the UPA government to set up a second states reorganization commission (SRC) to look into formation of some new states, including Telangana. The move is designed to beat the anti-incumbency effect that the ruling party will have to counter in the 2009 general elections.

Despite the PM’s Office denying TV reports on Tuesday and asserting that there is no such move, highly placed Congress sources told media that a formal letter would be written by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to PM Manmohan Singh very soon, requesting the UPA government to set up a second SRC.

Sources said the AICC general secretary in charge of AP, M Veerappa Moily, is arriving in Hyderabad for a meeting with Youth Congress leaders and the issue of second SRC is expected to figure in his talks with state party leaders. The first SRC was set up in 1955; following its report, states were reorganised in 1956.

A delegation of the Telangana Regional Congress Coordination Committee is likely to meet party president Sonia Gandhi next week and according to sources, the announcement of formation of a second SRC may come up after that.

The second SRC would take up demands for the creation of Telangana (AP), Vidarbha (Maharashtra) and trifurcation of UP. “While the demands for Telangana and Vidarbha have been on for some time, UP CM Mayawati has supported the division,” a Congress leader said.

While there are demands for smaller states, the second SRC would consider only the three above mentioned demands, the sources said. Thus, the pleas for creation of smaller territories like Gondwana (Chhattisgarh), Gorkhaland (West Bengal), Kodagu (Karnataka), Bodoland (Assam), Ladakh (Jammu and Kashmir), Garoland (Meghalaya) and Mithilanchal (Bihar) would not be taken up.