Stanley Theodore
stanley_theodore@yahoo.com 
Hyderabad, 19 September
Union Minister Veerappa Moily told Seemandhra MPs the Centre was
not going forward on
the Telangana statehood process and will not
proceed till a consensus is arrived at between the two regions. 
“We have noticed the severity of the integrationist agitation as well as the ground level situation in your state. We have not gone forward in any way and we will not go forward. We have realised that we cannot move forward till there is a consensus between the two regions,” Mr Moily was quoted as saying.
Union ministers Mr K Sambasiva Rao, Mr K
Chiranjeevi, Mr J D Seelam, Mrs P Lakshmi and MPs Mr K V P Ramachandra Rao, Mr V Aruna Kumar, Mr L Rajagopal among others met Mr Moily and later met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi&’s political secretary Mr Ahmed Patel last night.
Mr Moily and Mr Patel are part of the Anthony committee constituted by
the Congress to look into the concerns of Seemandhra. Mr A K Anthony is at present unwell. Mr Moily pointed out that the committee is yet to give its report and that the Centre “cannot put a step forward”, until they receive it.
Mr Patel told them: “Somewhere we committed a mistake. Now we are realising it. We have been given a wrong picture by some leaders.”
When an MP asked
him if the Central leadership is hard pressed to resolve
the prevailing situation, then the MLAs majority opinion on the Telangana resolution should be taken into consideration. (It is only after this resolution that the Assembly will take up the Telangana Bill for expressing views.) To this Mr Patel said: “This too is an option.”
He elaborated here by saying that the leadership is caught in a Catch-22 situation.
He said if they attempt to go back to reduce the emotions in Seemandhra, then another strong
agitation will unfold in Telangana.
Mr Rajagopal told both leaders that Telangana statehood sentiment is strong in three districts but the integrationist agitation is strong in the 13 districts in Seemandhra.
At both meetings MPs demanded that the Telangana process be halted. When they met Mr Moily they appealed that the
Congress Working Committee resolution favouring Telangana statehood be withdrawn. He shot back asking how it could be possible.