BJP demands immediate creation of Telengana

New Delhi, Feb 7 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party today asked the Congress to grant separate statehood to Telangana.

BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar blamed Congress spokesman M Veerappa Moily for dragging the name of the party in the matter.

''The Congress seems to have forgotten that the Telangana Rashtra Samiti had quit the UPA alliance, frustrated by the negative approach of the the Group of Ministers of the Pranab Mukherjee Committee. The Congress is using him for denying the promises and come out with lame excuses to nullify the promises made to the people of Andhra Pradesh,'' he remarked.

He said recommendation for the creation of the Telangana state has already been made by the first States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) and there is no need for second SRC as claimed by the Congress. The Congress has a majority in Andhra Pradesh and if it passes the resolution in the state assembly, the BJP will support the motion in both Houses of Parliament, he said.

The National Executive also passed a resolution in support of Telangana creation, he added. ''The BJP promised three states in 1999 elections and the states of Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand were created during the NDA regime. This is our record and the Congress should understand this and not blame the BJP for the broken promises,'' Mr Javadekar remarked.

Asked whether the BJP would align with TRS in the coming assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, Mr Javadekar said the BJP President had already stated that the party was willing to align with anyone who favours the creation of Telangana. ''It is in the court of TRS to take its first step,'' he said.

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