Jairam emerges as pointsman

• Crucial GoM meet at 2.30 pm today
• It will clearly go by the CWC Resolution
• Jairam meets Jaipal
• He convenes a meeting of Seemandhra ministers today
• Calls upon them to arrive at a consensus on the package

The key issues that are yet to be resolved are – Capital for Seemandhra region, whether Bhadrachalam is to be given to Seemandhra or not to be retained in Telangana and status of Hyderabad, besides water, power and revenue-sharing

New Delhi: Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has emerged as the key pointsman on Telangana, who has been assigned the gigantic task of finalising the GoM Report, keeping in mind the sentiments of both the Telangana and the Seemandhra regions. With the GoM on Telangana slated to meet on Wednesday for the last time, Jairam has been sweating it out to ensure that while abiding by the CWC Resolution, injustice is not done to the Seemandhra region. Jairam has convened a meeting of the Union Ministers belonging to the Seemandhra region on Wednesday morning, ahead of the GoM meeting at 2.30 pm. The Union Ministers of the region gave separate memorandums to the GoM earlier, on various issues, including the location of the new capital, besides setting up of educational institutions, super-speciality hospital and an international airport. Before fine-tuning the package, he wants to build up a consensus on the creation of Telangana, so that there is no resistance at the last stage. With Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy declaring that he will fight till the end and would resist the bifurcation of the State, the GoM is trying its best to win over the Union Ministers from Seemandhra.

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde was clear on Tuesday, when he stated that the GoM meeting may not be the last on Wednesday. He said, “We are trying to find a solution, which doesn’t hurt anybody.”

Sources stated that the Central Ministers, in their meeting on Wednesday, would insist on the Union Territory status being given to Hyderabad. Minister of State for Finance J D Seelam was on record to say that they were willing to cooperate, provided UT status was conferred on Hyderabad. Such an arrangement will avoid any legal complications, besides ensuring safety of the people belonging to Seemandhra region. However, when Jairam called on Union Science & Technology Minister S Jaipal Reddy at his residence on Tuesday evening, the Telangana Minister refused to budge from his opposition to giving UT status. Jaipal Reddy said, “There is no question of people of Telangana accepting such an arrangement.”

Jairam, sources stated, has called the Union Ministers from Seemandhra to evolve a consensus on the package to be given and not on deciding the key issues that relate to the new capital or the status of Hyderabad. The GoM is clear that it will strictly abide by the CWC Resolution by making Hyderabad the joint capital for 10 years. There will be no Rayala-Telangana, as the CWC has specified that Telangana would consist of the 10 districts with Hyderabad. Jairam was acting as a key pointsman between 10, Janpath and the GoM and would present the case on Telangana before the Cabinet meeting, slated on Thursday, if all goes well. In the Cabinet, the Draft Bill will also be discussed that is being readied by Law Minister Kapil Sibal. On Monday, Jairam, along with Ahmed Patel, A K Antony and Sushil Kumar Shinde, had met Congress president Sonia Gandhi to take her assessment on key issues before the Draft Bill was finalised. She is supposed to have told him that they have to abide by the CWC Resolution, but effort should be made not to displease the people of Seemandhra region by being generous in meeting the demands put forth by them. The key issues that are yet to be resolved are – Capital for Seemandhra region, whether Bhadrachalam is to be given to Seemandhra or remain in Telangana and status of Hyderabad, besides water, power and revenue-sharing.

Known for his political acumen for resolving contentious issues, as was the case when Land Acquisition Bill was passed in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Jairam is expected to play the role of trouble-shooter. It was Jairam, who at the last GoM, was making queries to the Chief Minister, the Seemandhra Union Ministers and the Telangana Union Ministers. He is the only Minister in the GoM, who has been present all through the meetings, while most others like Ghulam Nabi Azad, P Chidambaram and A K Antony found excuses to skip the meetings.