Congress says SRC II is its default policy

HYDERABAD: Continuing their game of ducks and drakes, two Congress functionaries piped up Wednesday and said their party’s policy on the question of smaller states was to set up a second States Reorganisation Commission (SRC). To this, they added the rider that as a matter of principle, the party is not opposed to smaller states.Sitting on seat’s edge, separate Telangana supporters sat bolt upright upon the utterance of these phlegmatic words and began to deduce meanings from them.However, the two leaders -- Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh and official spokesman Rashid Alvi -- said the second SRC was the default policy of the Congress and that they were speaking of it in respect of Uttar Pradesh where the chief minister Mayawati is said to be planning to introduce a resolution in the Assembly to divide the large state into four smaller ones.There were no other indications from the two gents whether this will be the much-anticipated decision in respect of Telangana too, which Ghulam Nabi Azad, the gen-sec in charge of AP, has promised to unveil any day after Nov. 10.Speaking in New Delhi, spokesperson Rashid Alvi said he was speaking in general terms and, as for the question of Telangana statehood, it had better be addressed to Ghulam Nabi Azad.Digvijay Singh said that before any decision on division of a state is taken, the central government would constitute a second SRC because it was only though it that allocation of central resources to states could be done better. Though his remarks were made in the light of Mayawati’s moves, it raised quizzical eyebrows in Telangana as well. The utterance of the ‘S’ word by important figures in the Congress high command triggered protests among Telangana parties. “If the Centre appoints a second SRC, the Congress will be buried alive in Telangana,” said TRS legislature party leader Etela Rajender.TRS MLA T Harish Rao also said: “If the Congress wants to appoint a second SRC, it is nothing but rank deception. In 2004, TRS entered into an electoral alliance with the Congress only after it promised a separate Telangana state. In 2009, it promised Telangana without appointing a second SRC. If you have no courage to deliver Telangana, please say so. We will decide what we should do.” Telangana Congress leaders said Digvijay’s statement was UP-specific.“The two statements are in respect of UP only. They have no bearing on Telangana. If the Congress says it in respect of AP also, all Telangana Congress leaders including Union minister S Jaipal Reddy will resign,” said Nalgonda MP Gutta Sukhender Reddy.