Statehood for Telangana no solution to backwardness: CPI(M)

Hyderabad, May 20 (UNI) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) today said it was against any division of the existing linguistic states as this would not help to resolve the backwardness of any region.

Creation of any new state would only amount to opening the ''Pandora's box'' as the demand had been raised for creating 30 states, including the formation of a separate Darjeeling state from West Bengal, its Polit Bureau member and Andhra Pradesh Unit Secretary B V Raghavulu said, participating in a meet-the-press programme, organised by the Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists.

He felt that the byelections in Andhra Pradesh were no referendum on the issue of statehood for Telangana as no single issue would decide the electoral prospects of the candidates.

Several factors, including the Congress government's alleged ''misrule'', would decide the electoral outcome, he pointed out.

Asked about the CPI's change in its stand in favour of statehood for Telangana, he said the CPI was free to take its decision.

The grant of a separate statehood was no solution to the backwardness of Telangana or any other region, he opined, adding that backwardness was the outcome of capitalism.

He called for a special economic package to resolve the problem.

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