Reject anti-Telangana parties: Konda Lakshman Bapuji

Hyderabad, Nov 22 (UNI) Veteran freedom fighter and former Minister Konda Lakshman Bapuji today wanted the electorate to reject the parties insincere to the cause of carving out separate Telangana state, in the forthcoming Lok Sabha bypoll in Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a press conference here, Bapuji, who had resigned from the state cabinet in 1969 for the cause of Telangana, termed the byelection to the Karimnagar Lok Sabha seat as crucial for the future of Andhra Pradesh, more so for Telangana.

He said the people must reject outright the ''anti-Telangana'' TDP and give first priority to support the Congress, provided its President Sonia Gandhi ''unambiguously declares the support of the Congress party and directs the Centre and State Governments to take steps for the formation of Telangana state.

Otherwise, Ms Gandhi must declare the party's support to any Private Member's Bill if introduced in the Winter session of Parliament for the formation of Telangana state. In either case, the BJP and TRS should withdraw from the contest''.

''In case, such a declaration is not made, people should support the BJP, provided the NDA introduces a Private Member's Bill in the present session of Parliament, in which case the Congress and TRS should withdraw from the contest'', he said.

Terming as ''absurd'' linking of Telangana state issue to constitution of the Second States' Reorganisation Commission, he recalled that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had assured Telangana people that the merger was only on an ''experimental basis'' and would be reconsidered in future if the Telangana people wanted.

'' Development has nothing to do with state formation, which is concerned with the people's emotion'', he claimed.

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