Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani on Tuesday urged the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to table a Bill for creation of a Telangana State in the winter session of Parliament and said that any further delay would be unjustified.
Addressing a roadside meeting here after his ‘Jan Chetna yatra' crossed into Andhra Pradesh at Penganga River bridge, he spoke at length on the Telangana issue. He declared that his party MPs — 116 members in the Lok Sabha and 50 in the Rajya Sabha — would support the Bill. “There will be no going back,” he promised in tune with his party's well-known stand.
The BJP leader was greeted with ‘Jai Telangana' slogans and placards demanding Statehood for the region by villagers along the 20-km route and the large crowd which gathered near the meeting venue.
Mr. Advani criticised the Centre for betraying the people in Telangana. Recalling the events of December 2009, he wondered why the government had reneged on its promise of initiating the process of bifurcation of the State. Referring to the spate of suicides in Telangana, Mr. Advani said it reflected extreme frustration among the youth over the delay in formation of the State.
On the recent by-elections, including the one for the Banswada Assembly constituency in Nizamabad district, he said the mandate of the electorate was a pointer to the wish of the people. “People have suffered a lot and need deliverance now.”
Objective
Mr. Advani said the aim of the ‘yatra' was to highlight the need to eliminate corruption and bring back black money stashed away in foreign banks. He also addressed roadside meetings at Ichoda and Nirmal.
Accompanying Mr. Advani on the yatra were BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad, party's national general secretary Anant Kumar and national secretary P. Muralidhar Rao besides his daughter Pratibha.
The yatra was welcomed by senior party leaders from Andhra Pradesh including party president Kishan Reddy and senior leaders Bandaru Dattatreya, Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, Baddam Bal Reddy, State general secretary N. Ramchander Rao and national spokesperson Nirmala Seetharaman.
