The former president played crucial role in including Telangana issue in Common Minimum Programme of the then Congress-led UPA govt.
Hyderabad: The statesmanship of Pranab Mukherjee helped ease many obstacles at the national level paving the way for the formation of Telangana State. As the then Union Minister, Pranab Mukherjee headed the Committee on separate Telangana State issues formed by the then UPA government and later, signed the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill as the President leading to the formation of Telangana State.
Pranab Mukherjee headed several committees constituted by both the Centre as well as the Congress for looking into the statehood issue. He also played a crucial role in forming the Congress-TRS alliance ahead of the 2004 elections in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh State by including the Telangana issue in the Common Minimum Programme of the Congress-led UPA.
As President, Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent for creation of the country’s 29th State. He also signed the proclamation to impose President’s rule in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh which was necessitated by N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s resignation as the Chief Minister opposing the creation of Telangana State.
On his maiden visit to Delhi after becoming the Chief Minister of the new State, Chandrashekhar Rao visited Pranab Mukherjee to thank him and seek his blessings. The former President complimented and congratulated the Chief Minister for achieving Statehood, saying “Only you could have done this. You started it and you finished it. A lot of people could not see Telangana.”
Pranab Mukherjee continued his efforts to ease tensions between the sibling States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on several issues in the initial days after the Telangana State formation. During his first southern sojourn to Hyderabad after the State formation in June 2015, he suggested that both States live together in peace and harmony with good neighbourly relations in order to contribute to the nation’s progress.