Don't delay creation of Telangana: BJP

New Delhi, Nov 30 (UNI) The BJP today said the UPA government was unnecessarily delaying the creation of a separate Telangana state and keeping that region in poverty.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha during zero hour, Mr Santosh Gangwar said the Centre had not taken any step so far for the creation of the state despite making a promise through the President's address at the joint sitting of Parliament immediately after coming to power in May 2004.

Even the resignation of Mr K Chandrashekar Rao as Labour Minister and Mr A Narendra as MOS (both TRS MPs) to protest against the delay had failed to have any positive impact on the Centre, he said.

The demand for a separate state has been there for 50 years and its immediate creation was necessary for dealing with the backwardness of the Telangana region, he contended.

More than 600 people had committed suicide in the region due to poverty, Mr Gangwar said.

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