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Congress faces catch-22: Flak within and without

NEW DELHI: Congress came under fire from both sides of Telangana divide on Thursday, with opponents of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh blaming its statement on December 9, 2009, promising Telangana for the crisis. The attack from the anti-Telangana camp, represented by UPA ally MIM at the all-party meeting and by TDP outside, was surprising as the Srikrishna report which was released on Thursday and general mood in the ruling party tallied with their stance against statehood. The fear of not winning the anti-Telangana camp despite a decision of their liking is a possibility which is compounded by the prospect of Congress taking a pounding at the hands of TRS eager to tap the resentment against the status quo. There was little respite from within too. Uttam Reddy, who represented the Telangana region at the meet, departed from the neutral stance of "study and get back" to say that statehood was the "best option" despite being rejected by Srikrishna committee. For the cornered Centre, there were discomforting moments when CPI, which backs AP's division unlike ally CPM, asked home minister more than once to spell out the Centre's stand. The cleft of Telangana has Congressmen worried that the party can at best think of minimizing losses in future. MIM legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi not only walked out of the meeting without signing the 'peace appeal', he said Congress needed to manage its house as its MPs and CWC members were leading agitations. "But for your December 9 statement, this situation would not have arisen," he told Chidambaram. The compulsions of Telangana debate have jolted Congress to the long-term impact of the acrimonious debate, with even continued status quo not promising returns in anti-T regions owing to Jagan's challenge. The option of united AP with 'regional council' for Telangana failed to see any immediate softening in Congress which has to compete with the TRS-led hardline. Though Congress MPs's rededication to the T-cause on Thursday may be mere posturing, they can still not relent on it for fear of backlash. The MPs told the party brass on Wednesday that they will not be able to enter their constituencies if the state was not given.

                                                                                                               
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