NEW DELHI: Keeping up the pressure on the United Progressive Alliance, a Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) delegation asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to expedite the report on separate Telangana and take steps towards it formation.

The TRS delegation, led by its chief and Union Minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao, said they told Dr. Singh that with nearly two-thirds of members in Parliament supporting the formation of a separate State, the Government should take an early decision on its formation.

Briefing correspondents after a 30-minute meeting, Mr. Rao said the Prime Minister informed the delegation that the Pranab Mukherjee Committee, which was appointed to go into the issue, had been asked to submit its report at the earliest.

The TRS chief said the Prime Minister told the delegation that Congress president Sonia Gandhi recently had a meeting with him and Mr. Mukherjee where the issue was discussed. He said the Government would take up the matter on receipt of the report.

To a question, Mr. Rao said there was a possibility that a Bill for creation of separate Telangana could be introduced during the monsoon session of Parliament. Mr. Rao was optimistic that move would not suffer on account of the opposition from the Left parties.

He said the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council was set up again despite the opposition from the Left parties.

For the past one week, TRS leaders have met Ms. Gandhi, Union Ministers — Mr. Mukhejree and Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, a member of the Pranab Mukherjee Committee on Telangana.

Besides Mr. Rao, the delegation consisted of Union Minister A. Narendra, party MPs Ravindra Naik and Madhusudan Reddy and party leaders Jayaprakash and Vidyasagar.

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