UPCC chief urged to act as Telangana mediator

HYDERABAD: Desperate for a positive sign on Telangana from the party high command, the T Congress leaders on Friday urged visiting UPCC president Rita Bahuguna Joshi to prevail upon Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to look into their demand favourably.
Joshi, who arrived here for a private programme, became the guest of pachayat raj minister K Jana Reddy, who is at the forefront of the T-Congress agitation for the separate state.Jana invited senior leader and Rajya Sabha member K Keshava Rao and PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana.
According to sources close to Jana Reddy, both Jana and Keshava Rao urged Joshi to convey their sentiments to party president Sonia Gandhi. "Reddy and Rao told her that the Telangana Congress leaders are ready for a dialogue on the statehood issue," sources said.
"We cannot trust Azad as he seems to be biased against Telangana. We want to utilize Joshi's proximity to Sonia to convey the readiness of the T-Congress leaders for negotiations with the high command," the sources said.
According to sources, Jana Reddy and Keshava Rao put forth two proposals before Joshi as the starting points for negotiations. "One is formation of Telangana with Hyderabad as the joint capital for both the regions till a mutually agreed time. Second, addressing the apprehensions of the Seemandhra people in the Telangana state by providing valid safeguards," the sources said.
Rajya Sabha member V Hanumantha is said to have played a key role in arranging the meeting between the Congress leaders and Joshi. Rao informed the Telangana leaders about Joshi's Hyderabad itinerary, sources added. Talking to the media at the residence of Jana Reddy, the UP Congress chief said her trip to Hyderabad was purely private. "It has no political significance," Joshi said.
Meanwhile, PCC president Botsa held a meeting with the Telangana ministers who have been staying off their duties at Gandhi Bhavan on Friday. He is said to have urged them to attend the office work as prolonged absence would cripple the implementation of welfare programs.