The BJP, without whose support the formation of a Telangana State is not possible, has taken the stand that for any work on a critical matter such as bifurcation, ‘normality’ should prevail.
BJP president Rajnath Singh blamed the Congress for the crisis in Andhra Pradesh and demanded that the Centre call all stakeholders, take them into confidence and discuss all issues of concern. “The BJP underlines the need for inter-regional equity. In contrast, in Andhra Pradesh, the Congress government has brought in inter-regional rivalry. Both the Union and State governments have taken no steps to contain it,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
Mr. Singh, however, reiterated that the BJP was in favour of creation of Telangana.
The party, which has been in the forefront of the statehood campaign, is hoping to gain in the Lok Sabha elections in the region. All the same, it is worried about its outcome in the coastal districts of Seemandhra and Rayalaseema as well as of statehood demands in other parts of the country.
Mr. Singh argued that the creation of the new State required a lot of political work calling for “leadership with great acumen.” He said the Congress, suffering from a leadership crisis, had not taken any step in this direction. Instead, it had left the situation to deteriorate.
He appealed to all those engaged in protests to immediately call off their agitations to facilitate return of normality.
