New Delhi, July 30:
5:41 pm: The Congress Working Committee meeting on Telangana has begun, reported the CNN-IBN.
5:38 pm: YSR Congress leader DA Somayajulu claimed the Congress has been forced to take a decision on creating Telangana under political pressure. "There have been three meetings on the issue and in all of them, except the Congress, all other parties had expressed their opinions on the same. The Congress is now taking a decision because the party cannot afford any more allies to move away from the UPA. It is not a new issue, it has been a boiling issue but is an old one. It has been there in the Congress manifesto in most of the past elections," he said. Somayajulu added that several Congress leaders have left the party over the Telangana issue.
5:33 pm: TRS leader Keshav Rao said his party is happy that the UPA has taken a decision in favour of Telangana. "But we will not celebrate unless the Bill is passed in Parliament considering the Congress party's track record," he said. He added that there can be no compromise on Hyderabad and the city will be the capital of the proposed Telangana state.
"We hope now Telangana will be a reality, but we are cautious also," he added.
5:27 pm: Sources say the issue of capital for Telangana or the rest of Andhra Pradesh was not discussed and the Congress Working Committee will only discuss the timing of the process.
5:27 pm: Sources say the issue of capital for Telangana or the rest of Andhra Pradesh was not discussed and the Congress Working Committee will only discuss the timing of the process.
5:24 pm: "It was an unanimous decision in favour of Telangana," said Aviation Minister and RLD leader Ajit Singh.
5:18 pm: Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter K Kavitha Rao welcomed the decision. "Yes, we are very happy that UPA has cleared the pending issue. At the same time we are cautious from the last experience. The last time the Congress under pressure from Seemandhra leaders and did not take a decision."
5:12 pm:The Congress Working Committee will take the final decision. After endorsement by its allies, the Congress Working Committee is set to meet shortly.
5:00 pm: UPA has endorsed the decision to create Telangana by diving Andhra Pradesh.
4:50 pm: UPA coordination committee meeting on Telangana has ended.