Andhra Governor meets PM on Telangana issue

New Delhi, Oct 8 (ANI): Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh here today and is understood to have briefed him about the situation in the agitation-hit Telangana region.

The meeting assumes significance as the general strike in Telangana region entered the 27th day on Saturday.

Earlier, Narasimhan met Home Minister P Chidambaram and briefed him about the developments in the state.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy is also scheduled to meet Dr. Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee over the issue.

Earlier, Union Health Minister and Congress in-charge for Andhra Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad has appealed to demonstrators agitating for the creation of a separate Telangana state, to end their strike as it is causing massive inconvenience to the common people.

"The strike should be called off immediately as it would provide the common people of the state some much needed respite," Azad told the media.

Pro-Telangana activists have stepped up their efforts for the four-decade-old demand of a separate state, which is sought to be carved out of the economically less developed parts of Andhra Pradesh.

The struggle gathered momentum last year after the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government had accepted their demand in principle.

Several protests and shutdowns had brought Andhra Pradesh to a near halt in 2009 and 2010, as pro-Telangana activists persisted with their demand. (ANI)