NTP to strive for Telangana before 2009 polls: Goud

Hyderabad, Oct 24 (UNI) The Nava Telangana Party will evolve an action plan in the next few days to intensify the movement for statehood for Telangana with a view to achieve the goal well before the 2009 Lok Sabha and Assembly Elections in Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a press conference here after returning from New Delhi, where he met, among others, United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and BJP Prime Ministerial Candidate L K Advani to press the demand, NTP President T Devender Goud said with major parties extending support to the cause, there would not be much problem in creation of separate Telangana before the next elections.

Mr Goud, who along with Party General Secretary E Peddi Reddy earlier paid homage to the Telangana Martyrs Stupa, claimed Ms Gandhi assured him the Telangana issue was her ''top priority''.

She promised to consider the demand for introduction of a Bill in Parliament after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returned from his foreign tour, he claimed.

Mr Goud reiterated his demand that the Bill be introduced in Parliament before the deadline of November 1 set by his party.

UNI SM VA RJ SB KP1845