BJP brings back Telangana to centrestage : Rajnath

Hyderabad, Mar 18 (UNI) The BJP today came out openly in support of separate statehood for Telangana for development of the backward region.

Addressing his first press conference here after assuming office as BJP President, Mr Rajnath Singh said ''that his party is in favour formation of separate Telangana state, adding that ''from the times of the Jan Sangh, they had been for smaller states for administrative convenience''.

The party National Executive would articulate its stand explicitly on the issue in May in response to a recent recommendation by the State unit in support of Telangana, he added.

The State unit had passed resolutions in unambiguous terms in support of statehood for the backward region in the past, Mr Singh recalled.

The party had articulated through its Kakinada resolution ''one vote two states'' on the eve of the 1996 elections, but had put the issue in cold storage after coming to power at the Centre with support from the Telugu Desam Party, which was for a unified Andhra Pradesh.

Asked if the BJP would support a bill in this regard as and when it was moved in Parliament, he reiterated ''that they were in favour of Telangana''.

He alleged that the Congress and Telangana Rashtra Samiti after promising statehood to the people of Telangana on the eve of the last Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, had betrayed the people by inaction even after mentioning the issue in the UPA Common Minimum Programme.

Asked why the BJP had not introduced a bill while heading the NDA, he said he issue was not included in the NDA's Common Minimum Programme.

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