BJP to launch agitation to achieve statehood for Telangana

Hyderabad, Jan 30 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh BJP president Bandaru Dattatreya today said separate Telangana issue was the party's main agenda and it would launch agitations in the State to achieve 'statehood for Telangana'.

Addressing a press conference here, he alleged that the Congress and the TRS had deceived the people of Telangana and failed to honour the sentiments of the people of the region.

He said though several major parties, except the CPI(M), were in favour of separate Telangana, the Congress was delaying the process.

He blamed AICC President Sonia Gandhi for creating hurdles in the matter.

He said the Congress and the UPA should take all measures to form a separate Telangana before the general elections in 2009. He demanded that the UPA introduce a Bill on separate Telangana in the next Parliament Session.

Mr Dattatreya said the BJP National Council had appreciated the efforts of the state unit of the party on its struggle for separate Telangana. It had called upon the party cadres to prepare for the elections, he added.

He said the state unit would chalk out a programme in the due course to create awareness among the people on the failures of the UPA Government.

He said senior party leader L K Advani would tour the entire country in this direction. The rise in prices of essential commodities, particularly the food items, had devastated the poor and weaker sections of the society and the plight of the Indian farmers continued to be pathetic.

He claimed that the nation's mood was swinging towards the NDA as the Congress and the UPA had lost all major State Elections held in the last one year. He alleged that the UPA's callousness had led to national security being jeopardized and the UPA was unable to diagnose the problems of national security and obviously unwilling to provide appropriate and effective solutions to the problems.

He said the party state unit would organise a big public meeting at Janagam in Warangal district on February 8 to highlight the looting of water and land from Telangana region and also farmers problems.

UNI BR VA JT AS1733