A special meeting of the Union Cabinet is being held today for considering the Telangana bill amid expectations that it will be brought in Parliament next week.
As part of the attempts to placate the voices of dissent against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, the UPA government may re-look at one of the most contentious issues, the status of Hyderabad.
Reports claimed, Friday, that the Centre is mulling over a proposal to make Hyderabad a Union Territory for a limited period.
The decision for convening a Cabinet meeting on Telangana was taken after a meeting of the Group of Ministers on the vexed issue.
The GoM deliberated on various issues concerning bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
The ministerial panel is believed to have discussed the demands of the Union Ministers from Seemandhra which include making Hyderabad a Union Territory for a limited period and incorporating Bhadrachalam sub-division with residuary Andhra Pradesh.
However, the proposal to declare Hyderabad a UT, even for a limited period, will not go down well with the pro-Telangana forces, most notably the TRS.
The pressure mounted on the Congress after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy staged a dharna in Jantar Mantar opposing bifurcation of the state. Reddy also met President Pranab Mukherjee. The state Assembly has already rejected the bill for the separate state.
With Andhra Pradesh sharply divided on regional lines on the Telangana issue, Parliament has been paralysed with supporters and opponents creating uproar for their respective cause. Three Lok Sabha members have also given notices of no confidence motion against Manmohan Singh government.
