Telangana: Cong, TRS should clarify if it is part of CMP

Hyderabad, Apr 24 (UNI) The BJP today demanded that the Congress and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti 'clarify' whether the issue of statehood for Telangana formed part of the UPA's Common Minimum Programme(CMP).

The clarification was imperative in the wake of the Left parties reported claim that the issue did not not form part of the CMP, Andhra Pradesh BJP president N Indirasena Reddy told a press conference here.

Taking exception to AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh's description of the BJP's stand as opportunistic, he alleged that both the Congress and TRS were cheating the Telangana people. The Congress had 'betrayed'' them in 1969 and 1972 too, he said.

He asked why the Congress, which had passed the bill in Parliament for revival of the Legislative Council with the support of the BJP despite opposition from the Left parties and the TDP, was hesitating to do so in the case of statehood for Telangana.

He wanted to know why the Congress, which was insisting on a letter from the BJP on the issue, was delaying its decision on introducing a bill in Parliament after the BJP announced its stand.

Why was TRS supremo and Union Labour Minister K Chandrasekara Rao, who had been making claims after his one-to-one meetings with Congress President Sonia Gandhi, unable to 'break her silence on the issue', he asked, adding 'is he (Mr Rao) her spokesman?'.

The TRS claim that it would ensure introduction of the bill in Parliament in the Monsoon session was only so that it could continue in the UPA Government till then, he contended.

UNI SM PA VP2010