Mukherjee signed AP Reorganisation Bill

The diary is apparently the ‘truthful account of his political journey’

Former President Pranab Mukherjee had signed the AP Reorganisation Bill to form Telangana state, after it was passed by Parliament on February

20, 2014. He had earlier headed the sub-committee on Telangana constituted by the UPA-1 government.

B. Vinod Kumar, former MP and Telangana State Planning Commission vice-chairman, said Mukherjee had complete understanding of Telangana issue. He said Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had first met Mukherjee prior to the

2004 elections. Rao had gone to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi for a pre-poll alliance, and she asked Mukherjee to talk to Rao. “After their one to one meeting Mukherjee assured KCR in my presence that he will ensure that Telangana is formed if the UPA comes to power,” Vinod Kumar told Chronicle on Tuesday.

He said Mukherjee was instrumental in including the Telangana issue in the Common Minimum Programme of the UPA-1 government.

When the TRS decided to leave the UPA-1, it was Mukherjee who tried to stop them as Telangana state would be a realty during the UPA tenure.

When the UPA sub-committee on Telangana, headed by Mukherjee, said that it would be able to finalise its report only after receiving responses from all political parties, Rao started consultations with all other parties, Kumar said.

“I used to hand over consensus letters collected from various parties and Pranab Mukherjee always appreciated our efforts.”

Chief Minister, in his condolence message said, “the former President used to say that there was justice in the demand for a separate Telangana and he used to offer several useful suggestions.”