Government in a fix over Telangana,

With government being in a fix over Telangana, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday appealed to all sections to allow consultation process on the statehood issue to reach its logical conclusion."The Government would like to make an earnest appeal to all sections of the people in Andhra Pradesh that they should allow the consultation process to reach its logical conclusion," he said in a statement on a Calling Attention motion in the Lok Sabha on creation of a separate Telangana state.He said the Centre had asked all major political parties to consider the report of a five-member committee chaired by Justice (Retd) B N Srikrishna on the Telangana issue and form an opinion in this regard.

"The consultation process with various political parties of Andhra Pradesh is continuing. A suitable decision will be taken in the light of these discussions," Chidambaram said.

He said the Centre was keeping a close watch on the political developments as well as the law and order situation in the state.Chidambaram said the Srikrishna Committee had listed six solutions or possible options, including maintaining status quo, bifurcation of the state into Seemandhra and Telangana, with Hyderabad as a Union Territory, and the two states developing their own capitals in due course.

The other options are bifurcation of the state into Rayala-Telangana and coastal Andhra regions with Hyderabad being an integral part of Rayala-Telangana; bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into Seemandhra and Telangana with enlarged Hyderabad metropolis as a separate Union Territory.

This Union Territory will have geographical linkage and contiguity via Nalgonda district in the south-east Guntur in coastal Andhra and via Mahboobnagar district in the south to Kurnool district in Rayalaseema, he said quoting the report.

Another option is bifurcating the state into Telangana and Seemandhra as per existing boundaries with Hyderabad as the capital of Telangana and Seemandhra to have a new capital.

The final option is keeping the state united by simultaneously providing certain definite Constitutional/ Statutory measures for socio-economic development and political empowerment of Telangana region -- creation of a statutorily empowered Telangana Regional Council.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh has requested the Centre to delete paragraph 14 (f) of the Andhra Pradesh Public Employment (Organisation of Local Cadres and Regulation of Direct Recruitment) Order of 1975, Chidambaram said.

The deletion of the paragraph implies that Hyderabad city would be a 'free zone' for recruitment to the police.The Centre decided to delete the clause and had made an appropriate recommendation to the President.

HC rejects Chidambaram's plea

Madras High Court on Thursday rejected an application by Home Min P Chidambaram seeking dismissal of the election petition filed by his immediate AIADMK rival R S Raja Kannappan challenging his election to Lok Sabha from Sivaganga constituency in 2009 General Elections.
In his application, Chidambaram had contended that there were some defects in the petition filed by Kannappan, who lost the election by just 3,354 votes, and sought its dismissal.Chidambaram had claimed that the high court registry had noted the defects when the petition was filed by Kannappan.Dismissing Chidambaram's application, Justice K Venkatraman said, "There cannot be any doubt that an Election petition filed with defects which cannot be curable cannot be considered as an election petition at the end. However, in the case on hand, the defects pointed out by the officer concerned are not defects which are not curable warranting dismissal of the election petition."

The Judge said he was of the considered view that the application preferred by Chidambaram "is liable to be rejected and accordingly rejected."

Kannappan in his petition filed on June 25, 2009 alleged that Chidambaram's election 'deserved' to be declared void due to 'manipulation' of votes and 'corrupt practices' committed by him, his election agents and others, with his consent.

He had also sought recount of the votes polled in the entire constituency, particularly in the Alangudi Assembly segment.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa during her visit to New Delhi in June last had sought the resignation of Chidambaram alleging that he got himself elected to the Parliament by 'fraudulent' means.

She had alleged that Chidambaram was announced the successful candidate because of a fraud committed by a data entry operator, but the Union Minister hit back saying her remarks were 'gross contempt of court'.