Andhra Pradesh should not be divided: Farooq Abdullah

New Delhi, Feb 10: In an embarrassment to the UPA government, Union Minister

today spoke against its decision to divide Andhra Pradesh and create

, saying, the state should not be divided when its people do not want it.

"I think it (the issue of Telangana) has gone out of gear, terribly out of gear. You have seen 70 per cent, 80 per cent of people do no want division, yet a division is taking place....The people of the state do not want division. We should not divide," he told reporters here as Parliament was adjourned once again over the issue.

When told that the Cabinet, of which he is a member, had approved the division of the state, the Minister of New and Renewable Energy said he did not attend that the meeting as he was away in Jammu for an event.

He said the demand for the separate state has been there since the time Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister but it was "handled and kept under cover". MPs supporting the creation of a separate Telangana state and those against it have been creating uproar in Parliament and stalling proceedings.

The government has cleared the bill for the creation of Telangana. As soon as Lok Sabha met today, supporters and opponents of separate Telangana rushed to the Well raising slogans. In Rajya Sabha, there was ruckus over Telangana and other issues with slogan-shouting TDP, DMK and AIADMK members trooping to the Well leading to two adjournments, including one within a minute of the House meeting for the day.

PTI