Cong treated Telangana as internal party matter: Venkaiah

New Delhi, August 12 : BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday accused the Congress-led UPA Government of treating the Telangana issue as an internal party matter.

Participating in the debate on Andhra Pradesh’s bifurcation in Rajya Sabha, Venkaiah Naidu said that the Congress party had no clear cut policy on the Telangana issue. He recalled that several people have sacrificed their lives in Telangana movement of 1969 and Jai Andhra movement of 1972 while hundreds of youth committed suicide after 2004. Therefore, the issue was very old and needed proper approach.

Venkaiah Naidu said that the Congress should have acted immediately after coming to power in 2004 as it had entered into an alliance with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi before elections. However, the party formed Pranab Mukherjee Committee, Rosaiah Committee and then Srikrishna Committee to drag the issue. He said that the Congress wasted over nine years in announcing its decision while treating the subject as an internal matter. He asked whether the formation of Antony Committee was an admission that proper consultations were not held on the issue.

Accusing the Congress of mishandling the subject, Venkaiah Naidu said that Telangana and Seemandhra regions should be treated properly as they are all Telugu speaking people and it was not an issue like India-Pakistan. He also condemned the provocative statements being issued by leaders from both the regions. He said that people in Hyderabad were matured and have been living peaceful. However, he said by making provocative statements, political leaders were trying to incite regional feelings and hatred.

Venkaiah Naidu said that the government should have redressed the location of central universities, IITs, AIMS, research labs, growth corridors, river water and power sharing mechanism, international airport, status of employees and other issues. He said that the Chandigarh model of joint capital would not work for Hyderabad due to its location as people need to cross at least two districts to reach the capital. He also said that the Rayalaseema people were feeling betrayed and let down due to the decision and their fears should be allayed.

The BJP leader said that the Congress party was trying to score a political point over Telangana issue. Stating that the bifurcation was a larger issue, he said that there should be government mechanism to work out a solution. INN