Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said his party was ready to support a bill for the formation of a separate Telangana state if the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government introduces it in Parliament.
Asserting that the BJP was “hundred percent” for separate statehood to the Telangana region, he told reporters here that the Congress party was playing with the sentiments of the people in the region.
“If Congress party is sincere on Telangana issue, let them bring a bill in Parliament. BJP will support it,” he said.
Mr. Gadkari, who arrived here on a three-day visit, the first since he took over as party chief, blamed the Congress for complicating the Telangana issue.
“The Congress party declared that it will carve out a separate Telangana state but later backtracked. It is playing vote-bank politics on the issue,” he alleged. “This is not the way to solve a problem. The Congress party is, in fact, creating more problems. The present confusion is because of its policies,” Mr. Gadkari said.
The Srikrishna committee formed by the Central Government to look into the Telangana issue was a waste of time, the BJP president alleged.
Mr. Gadkari blamed the policies of the UPA government for the miseries of farmers in the country. He alleged that farmers’ suicides were continuing due to the “anti-farmer” policies of the Government.
He said the BJP, for the last four months, has been demanding a halt to future and forward trading in essential commodities. “The Government is exploiting farmers. Neither are the farmers getting remunerative prices nor are the consumers being benefited,” he said.
