New Delhi:
The Home Secretary, GK Pillai, has retracted from his statement made earlier on Friday in which he contradicted the Union government's stand on Telangana.
A statement from the Home Secretary statement said: "The Home Secretary woulk like to clarify that he did not state that Hyderabad would be the Capital of Telangana. In response to a question from a journalist that the proponents for the State of Telangana had wanted Hyderabad to be its Capital, Home Secretary had stated that this was what they wanted. The issue of the Capital for the proposed new state of Telangana for which steps have been initiated is a matter that is to be decided by consensus and by the Government of India."
Earlier, when the political divide in Andhra Pradesh over Telangana seemed to grow more serious, Pillai had said: "The home minister has made the statement that...the process of forming the new state has been started and I am sure in the coming days as people understand the real implications of what it meant, I think the agitation would die down and the process of formation of new state would continue", he said.
Asked about the future of Hyderabad, Pillai had said: "I think it will always be the capital of Telangana." (
Read: Home Secretary's statement)
Pillai's remarks were seen as provocative at a time when the government is struggling to pacify upset MPs from Andhra over its sanction for a Telangana state.
Speaking to Andhra MPs from the Congress, the Prime Minister on Friday assured them that no decision would be taken in haste.