Congress playing a double game on Telangana, says BJP

We are committed to creation of Telangana, says Sushma

February 18, 2014 03:59 pm | Updated May 18, 2016 09:15 am IST - New Delhi

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday charged the Congress with playing a “double game” by getting the Telangana Bill passed amid din. The party, however, agreed to support the Bill because it said it was “committed”' to the creation of Telangana.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said the party realised that the Congress was looking for an excuse to pin the blame on it for stalling the Bill. She said the Congress had expected the BJP to reject the Telangana Bill amid an uproar.

“They would have appeased both sides; the pro-Telangana side would have been told that the BJP stalled the Bill and the Seemandhara side would have been happy too. We sensed the game and spoilt it by supporting the Bill,” she said.

Ms. Swaraj said the BJP was happy it fulfilled its commitment to the Telangana issue but added that the government should now address the “concerns of the Seemandhra region and there should be justice for them as well.”

The BJP has also made reference to the “flaws” in the Bill; it has put on record that the government has not accepted its demand for a Constitution amendment to the provision in the Bill that gives the Governor charge for law and order. “Despite our repeated assurance that we will support the Bill if they bring the Constitutional amendment, the government has not done so,”' she said.

On why the BJP agreed to pass the Bill amid uproar and with no amendments moved by the party, Ms. Swaraj said: “The 30 or so amendments that have been incorporated are by the government after discussions with our MP M. Venkaiah Naidu.”

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.