BJP warns UPA govt on Telangana

At the same time the party assured that the BJP, which had given separate States of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh in its regime during 1998-2004, would carve out Telangana State too if it comes back to power at the Centre.

BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad told a meeting of Delhi Telangana Joint Action Committee (DTJAC) that BJP’s assurance on Telangana could be taken as a promise. The Centre should respect the overwhelming support for Telangana.

Mr. Prasad criticised Home Minister P. Chidambaram of keeping quiet after announcing about the “Telangana formation process” on December 9, 2009, and appointing Justice B.N. Srikrishna Committee to look into the issue and even obtaining the Committee’s report.

He also wondered what happened to the promises made by the UPA-I in its common minimum programme on Telangana formation and appointment of a committee headed by present Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on the issue. But nothing had been done, he charged.

Similarly he wondered why there was a delay in accepting the resignations of MPs who had given their papers protesting delay in the formation of the new State. “I have the highest regard for the office of the Lok Sabha Speaker. But why the resignations are kept pending? Why is it that all democratic institutions are being manipulated to delay the formation of the State? This cannot be appreciated.”

Senior Congress leader K. Keshava Rao of Telangana region, who too had submitted his resignation letter from the Rajya Sabha, said party functionaries from the region were “frustrated” and their patience was running out.

If the Congress did not want to give Telangana then why did Mr. Chidambaram announce about initiation of Telangana formation process? His words should carry some weight. Mr. Chidambaram was not getting his facts right on the party’s stand on the separate State issue, Mr. Rao added.

Both Mr. Prasad and Mr. Rao criticised Justice Srikrishna, who headed the Committee on the Telangana demand, for allegedly suggesting usage of rubber bullets for quelling the stir for the separate State.

Peddapalli Congress MP G. Vivekanand referred to the reported “loss” suffered by the State in view of the stir and said if something had to be achieved a few “sacrificies” had to be made and those losses could be compensated if Telangana was formed immediately.

Senior TDP leader N. Janardhana Reddy criticised the Centre’s stand on the issue and said it would be held responsible if the situation goes out of control in Telangana.

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