Congress has cheated people of Telangana : BJP

Hyderabad, Sep 4 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party today alleged that the ruling Congress has 'cheated' the people of Telangana by not implementing its election promise of creating a separate state.

Talking to newspersons here, party spokesperson N Ramachandra Rao and BJP Dalit Morcha National vice-president Venkata Swamy said the Congress, which had electoral alliance with the TRS, had promised during the 2004 polls that a separate Telangana state would be created before the next general elections in 2009, had gone back on it.

Referring to AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh's statement that the Congress was for appointment of the Second States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) on the Telangana issue, they said it was nothing but to cheat the people.

Demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, Mr Rao said he had no right to continue in office even for a minute as he was ''bluffing that formation of Telangana was not an election promise.'' Stating that the BJP always opposed the second SRC, he said it would open a pandora's box and the formation of several states would come up before it.

Reiterating the BJP's support for the formation of Telangana state, he demanded that a bill be introduced in the Parliament for the formation of Telangana state.

The spokesperson said the Congress had misguided the people that the BJP had not responded to the Pranab Mukherjee committee on Telangana as time and again the party leadership, including president Rajnath Singh, had expressed party's support to Telangana state.

Mr Rao said the BJP would hold a public meeting, demanding the formation of Telangana state on September 17, on the occasion of Telangana Liberation Day, in which party president Rajnath Singh would participate.

UNI