PM's statement shocked Telangana people, says Congress MP

[1]

A Congress member of parliament from Telangana on Sunday said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement on a separate Telangana state has shocked the people of the region.

"The people have started feeling that UPA (United Progressive Alliance) has betrayed them," Madhu Goud Yaskhi, who represents Nizamabad, said.

Nine Congress MPs from Telangana, who will meet here on Monday to chalk out their future course of action, will be seeking the intervention of party president Sonia Gandhi.

"Madam Sonia Gandhi is the last hope. We will appeal to her to prevail upon UPA to start the process for formation of Telangana state," Yaskhi said.

Ruling out formation of separate Telangana state at least for now, Manmohan Singh said on Saturday that nothing would be done in a hurry to do something that will create trouble in the other regions.

Reacting sharply to the prime minister's statement, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao said the prime minister was blind to the sentiments of the people of Telangana.

He even warned that Congress and Manmohan Singh would be 'buried under the wrath of Telangana people'.

Yaskhi said the prime minister giving reasons of repercussions and protests in other parts of the state and other regions of the country for his stand was acting against the principles of natural justice.

"With the prime minister saying Telangana is not possible, have the leaders demanding separate states like Gorkhaland, Bodoland and Vidarbha given up their fight? Immaterial of Telangana being formed or not, they will not give up their fight. The government should decide every case on merit," he said.

The Congress leader feels the prime minister made the statement under pressure from MPs from Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.

"The MPs there are more in numbers. If 20 MPs resign, the government will fall but the party should not succumb to such blackmailing tactics," he added.

Yaskhi wants the party to evaluate the truthfulness of the movement.

"The movement in Telangana for separate statehood is a people's movement while the one in other regions (of Andhra Pradesh) is orchestrated," he claimed.

He also noted that out of 22 MPs (of Andhra and Rayalaseema) who were earlier opposing separate Telangana state, 13 MPs have made it clear that they would remain with the party even if the central government decides to create a separate state.

He recalled that Congress had taken a consistent stand in favour of Telangana from the time the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was in power.

"Congress Working Committee including Manmohan Singh had deliberated the issue and recommended formation of smaller states including Telangana and Vidarbha."

The issue was included in the Common Minimum Programme of the UPA, and the President's address to the joint session of parliament, while on December 9, 2009, the government announced that the process for formation of Telangana state would be initiated.

He said the prime minister himself had stated in March 2010 that Telangana is the oldest demand, and it can't be compared with demands for other states and has to be dealt with separately.

"If there are apprehensions of protests in other regions, then why did the government appoint the (Justice B.N.) Srikrishna committee," asked Yaskhi.