PM holds meet before Telangana report

NEW DELHI: With anticipation building up ahead of the submission of the Telangana report, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday convened a meeting of senior ministers to review the situation in Andhra Pradesh as well as the steps taken to ensure that peace is maintained after the BN Srikrishna panel hands over the report.

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram is said to have briefed the meeting — also attended by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister AK Antony and Law Minister Veerappa Moily — about the likely reactions to the report and the additional security measures initiated, including deployment of Central forces at the likely trouble spots in Telangana region, particularly Hyderabad.

While 50 companies of Central troops, or roughly 5,000 paramilitary personnel, have been put at the state’s disposal to strengthen policing around key institutions like Osmania University and the IT hub of Cyberabad, more forces will be on stand-by for deployment at short notice in the event of any violent breakout.

The prime minister was also briefed on the other precautionary measures, including issuance of guidelines by the National Broadcasting Association (NBA) for responsible and restrained coverage of the Telangana issue by the electronic media. I&B Minister Ambika Soni also met Chidambaram separately in this regard.

Meanwhile, the MHA’s decision to send additional paramilitary forces to Andhra Pradesh to handle the likely fallout of Telangana report seems to have run into some trouble with the Andhra Congress MPs.

After forcing the state government to withdraw all criminal cases filed against Telangana agitators, the MPs have now stepped up pressure on the Kiran Kumar Reddy government to send back the troops claiming that there was no threat to law and order in the region.

“The flag marches being conducted by the CRPF, CISF and BSF personnel in towns and villages of Telangana are creating a scary atmosphere among the people.

Since there is no threat to law and order, the forces should be withdrawn immediately. They may be deployed only in case of any trouble,” Andhra Congress MPs forum convenor Ponnam Prabhakar said after meeting the chief minister along with other Congress MPs in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

“We told him that there is no need for deployment of Central forces in such huge numbers as there is no threat to peace after the Srikrishna Committee report is submitted,” the MPs told newsmen soon after they had thanked Mr Reddy for withdrawing the 135 cases against the Telangana protesters.

Nearly 23 companies of paramilitary forces have been allotted to Hyderabad and nearby Cyberabad police commissionerates to meet any situation that may arise after the Srikrishna Committee on Telangana submits its report to the Union home minister on Thursday.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner AK Khan told agencies that 18 companies of paramilitary forces were sought from the Centre and 11 companies have arrived. The remaining seven will arrive in the next couple of days.

The IT hub of Cyberabad will get five companies of forces, of which two companies are being deployed in Madhapur area (home to TCS, Wipro, Microsoft and Mahindra Satyam).

“In democracy, everyone has a right to dissent and protest. But if anyone tries to take law in their hands, we will not let it happen. Additional forces are brought for the safety of the public,” he said trying to allay the fears of political parties in Telangana that the additional forces were brought to crush separate Telangana movement.

“We deployed two companies of paramilitary forces for Madhapur Zone. As it is we have intensified security in this area keeping in view of the IT industry. We do not anticipate any trouble in this area as everyone knows that the IT industry is breadwinner for the state,” Vijay Kumar, DCP, Madhapur, Cyberabad said.