“We have come to a final phase of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. A decision will be taken soon,” Digvijay Singh, Union Minister and in-charge of AP affairs said on Monday.

Talking to media persons soon after hectic consultations with Telangana and United Andhra factions, Digvijay Singh requested Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana and Deputy Chief Minister Damodara Rajanarasimha prepare a roadmap for strategy in the course of action. “My predecessors Veerappa Moily and Gulam Nasbi Azad had already had wide consultations and now a decision has to be taken on the contentious issue,” he said.

Stating that the division of a State is not an easy task, the senior Congress leader said formation of Uttarakhand from Uttar Pradesh too had its own problems. Whatever decision, the Congress party high command would take it would be in after the consensus of the people of the State and the nation as well. If the decision was taken, it would be in the interests of the state and the nation. Replying to a question, he said there were only two options one is united Andhra Pradesh and the other one is separate Telangana. However, he said there was no more deadlines for bifurcation.

Maintaining that the State has given a massive mandate in the 2004 and 2009 elections, Digvijay Singh said another political challenge was ahead in the 2014 elections. There were four Cabinet ministers and eight ministers of State in the Union Cabinet from the State and they were working hard for the benefit of the State. “We are happy that the AP was one among the fastest growing States in the country in the next five years. The State Government was continuing the welfare schemes introduced by late YS Rajasekhar Reddy, Digvijay said.

-Hyderabad, Sakshipost