Is the UPA leadership veering round to the idea of making Hyderabad a "semi Union Territory"?
The latest buzz in the political circles is that the Centre is keen on finding a solution to the capital issue before going ahead with the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. Otherwise, the future status of Hyderabad will remain a festering wound in the Telangana map.
As a middle path to resolve the issue, the idea is to grant a "semi UT" status to the city. This means that only law and order, land management and education sectors will be under the control of the central government during the ten year period when Hyderabad will be a common capital for Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh states.
It is said that the Group of Ministers (GoM), constituted by the UPA government to work out modalities for formation of separate Telangana state, has sent a note to the BJP floor leader in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj that talks about the proposal for semi UT status for Hyderabad.
The Congress central leadership wants to take the main opposition BJP into confidence to push the idea forward.
The seven-member GoM is racing against time to complete the report containing its recommendations on how to go about the division of the state. It is expected to submit its report to the Union Cabinet by November 21.
