Ex-CLP leader's plea to Sonia on Telangana statehood

Hyderabad, May 14 (UNI) Former Congress Legislature Party Leader P Janardhana Reddy,MLA, today urged the party high command to concede to the long pending demand for statehood for Telangana.

Participating in the Pradesh Congress Plenum, Mr Reddy urged All India Congress Committee General Secretary Digvijay Singh to take up the matter with Ms Gandhi.

Telangana was not given its due whether in matters of employment or sharing of natural resources, including water, he said.

''We successfully got the second phase of the Krishna water project sanctioned when in Opposition. But when the Congress is in power, the third phase of the project could not not fructify at a time when the city is fast expanding,'' he said.

He also pressed on the need for making a leader from the Other Backward Classes from Telangana as Deputy Chief Minister as per the 'gentlemen's agreement reached at the time of the formation of unified Andhra Pradesh state among the leaders of Coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana.' According to the agreement, when the Chief Minister is from Telangana, the deputy Chief Minister should be from Coastal Andhra or Rayalaseema and when he is from Rayalaseema or Coastal Andhra, his deputy should be from Telangana, he pointed out.

UNI