Jammu, Dec 11 (IANS) After his comments on Hyderabad led to a flurry of angry protests, Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai quickly backtracked, saying the issue of a capital for the proposed new state of Telangana would be decided by the government based on consensus.

‘No decision was made regarding the capital, and the Government of India will take a decision with consultation with all parties involved,’ Pillai said in a statement.

His comment earlier on Hyderabad – ‘I think it will always be the capital of Telangana’, was widely resented.

Ministers and legislators from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions reacted strongly to Pillai’s statement that the process of formation of Telangana state would continue and that Hyderabad would be the capital of the new state.

Cutting across party lines, the legislators from the two regions and others who are opposing division of Andhra Pradesh said Pillai’s remarks were ‘provocative’.

Ministers K. Parthasarathi and P.Satyanarayana took a strong exception to Pillai making the statement when the people in two regions of Andhra Pradesh were strongly opposing the bifurcation of the state.

‘It is unfortunate that a senior official whose job is to maintain law and order is making provocative statements,’ said Parthasarathi.