The Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu has stared a tune on the bifurcations.
As if the present confusion surrounding the issue is not enough, he has added another one. He has made a fresh demand for convening an all-party meeting on the division of the state. This is just an endless obfuscation.
While touring the rain-affected areas in the coastal region, the TDP chief came up with this brand new suggestion.
However, true to his style while dealing with all contentious issues, Naidu did not elaborate whether the proposed all-party meeting is for going into the modalities of bifurcation or to consider whether the division should be done or not.
"It is only through talks and negotiations that any problem can be solved," he said.
From the beginning, the TDP has been adopting an ambivalent approach to the Telangana issue.
Naidu was the one who had insisted on an Assembly resolution to create Telangana state during an all-party meeting on the issue chaired by the then Chief Minister then K Rosaiah on December 7, 2009.
Then, two days later when the UPA announced initiation of the process on formation of Telangana state, he reacted furiously and organised en mass resignations by the elected representatives of the Seemandhra region.
Earlier, in October, 2008, the TDP's politburo had unanimously resolved in favour of Telangana and gave a letter to this effect to the Pranab Mukherjee committee. Again this year, it gave the consent letter to the Centre, pledging his party's commitment to the formation of Telangana state.
The party had included the Telangana promise in its 2009 manifesto in which it assured that, if voted to power, the party would initiate all the necessary "legal and constitutional measures" to carve out Telangana state.
What measures and strategies did he have in mind then? Five years later, Naidu is now saying that splitting the state would be disastrous and that the concerns and grievances of Seemandhra people should be taken into consideration.
Was he ignorant about the political fallout then?
Moreover, the TDP had even passed a pro-Telangana resolution at Mahanadu, the general body meeting of the party.
