Pranab Mukherjee maintains special bond with Telangana, Plays key role for T State

Former India President Pranab Mukherjee has maintained a special bond with Telangana ever since the statehood demand took centre stage in the national politics. The departed leader had played a key role in according separate state status to Telangana at the centre.

Soon after the Congress-led UPA came to power at the centre in 2004, the Union Government appointed a three-member UPA Sub Committee on Telangana headed by the then Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee. The two other union ministers Raghuvansh Singh Prasad and Dayanidhi were the members of the sub committee which has sought the opinions and views of all political parties on Telangana statehood. The sub committee succeeded in eliciting the views of every political on the Telangana struggle during UPA - One between 2004 and 2009.

Pranab Mukherjee had also played a key role in adopting a resolution by Congress party's apex body CWC in favour of Telangana statehood before the AP Reorganization Act came into force. As the President of India, Pranab gave his final nod to the statehood for Telangana on June 2, 2014. The senior-most leader also maintained a cordial relation with TRS Chief K Chandrasekhar Rao during the intensified Telangana movement.

Political circles said that Pranab has extended all possible help to KCR at the time of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh ensuring no major resistance from Congress leadership. As President, Pranab Mukherjee also helped the first Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in addressing the issues mentioned in the Reorganization act. KCR also maintained a special bond with Pranab. At the time of demitting the office in 2017, Pranab's special meeting with TRS meeting was enough to prove the friendly relations maintained by the senior-most leader with the ruling Telangana party.