Telangana crisis: Congress leaders meet Azad

NEW DELHI: After tendering their resignation, Congress ministers, MPs and MLAs from Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh today met senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and explained as to why they had put in their papers and also agreed to participate in discussions on the issue.Senior minister K Jana Reddy told reporters after the meeting that they will continue to discuss the issue of formation of a separate Telangana state with the high command."We will continue to be part of the discussions. We explained to Azad the conditions under which we put in our papers," Reddy said.He said the ministers will hold another round of consultation with Azad in the afternoon and the high command will continue to hold discussion with them on the issue.Besides Reddy, Ponnala Laxmaiah and Basavaraj Saraiah also met Azad. They reached here from Hyderabad last night.Two MPs - Madhu Goud Yashki and Ponnam Prabhakar - and one MLA and one MLC also met Azad, the party general secretary in-charge.Sources said the Ministers and the MPs are trying to get an appointment with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.The ministers, MPs, MLAs and MLCs had resigned from their posts yesterday to mount pressure on the Centre and Congress to take an early decision on the contentious statehood demand.Lawmakers have not commented on taking back the resignation. They have been maintaining that the people of Telangana feel that only a separate state could fulfill their aspirations and that resignation will be the right way to protest.Home Minister P Chidambaram had said yesterday that the Centre is yet to take a final decision on the issue and that it will try to expedite the consultation process.The Congress has also asked its lawmakers to wait till the consultation process is over, but they want an early decision.