Minister of State for Home Affairs Jitendra Singh said today in Rajya Sabha that a broad consensus must be arrived at among all concerned in AP for taking a decision on the demand for separate state of Telangana.

In a written reply to a member who raised the issue, Jitendra Singh said the Centre would surely take a decision on the issue after taking into consideration all factors. “However, we can’t give a time frame at this stage on formation of new states,” he said.

The minister said that the formation of new states would have its direct ramifications on the federal polity and decisions on formation of new states would only be taken if there is a broad consensus in the states concerned.

Referring to the Sri Krishna Committee report on Telangana, the minister said the report ran into nearly 500 pages and had suggested several options on the issue. (JUBS)