'Only Cong. can get separate Telangana'

By Our Staff Reporter

NIZAMABAD, MAY 19. The Telangana Congress Legislator's Forum is meeting in the next few days to chalk out its further course action towards creation of a separate Telangana State, which only would ensure allround development of the region, according to the CLP deputy leader and Nizamabad MLA, Mr. D. Srinivas.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, the senior Congress leader, said the meeting would discuss several issues connected with the issue. The meeting would review the situation in the wake of a delegation of party legislators meeting the AICC president, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, in New Delhi this week.

Mr. Srinivas said the Congress party alone could ensure creation of a separate State. A national consensus had to found to see that a new State was carved out of Andhra Pradesh as was the case with Uttaranchal, Chattisgarh and Jharkhand. He said there would be no compromise on the part of the Forum which was committed to creation of a separate State. There is no second thought among the 41 party MLAs representing the region regarding a separate Telangana, he said.

The Congress leader took exception to the suggestion made by the Telangana Rastra Samiti president, Mr. K. Chandrasekhar Rao, that the Congress MLAs should bring pressure on the high command on the issue. He said there was a way of representing certain issues and pointed out that the AICC had constituted a five-man committee to look into the matter.

Mr. Srinivas said an agitation was not the solution to creation of a new State. The issue had to be brought before the Parliament which should pass a bill with two thirds majority. The Congress party never agitated for a separate State but a senior leader, late M. Channa Reddy, joined the Telangana Praja Samiti, to achieve the goal.

Reiterating the commitment for a separate State, he said the 41 MLAs had represented to the high command in this regard. Even the Centre was in favour of smaller States. He said earlier phases of agitation in 1969 and 1971 were emotional in nature as backwardness and neglect of the area hurt the people.

Mr. Srinivas ridiculed the TDP for its claim made yesterday that only in the last six years, there had been considerable development of Telangana. He asked whether the seven-year rule of late N.T. Rama Rao saw backwardness of the region. He alleged that the region was neglected by the Government in a planned manner.

The DCC vice-president, Mr. N. Ramakrishna Reddy, DCC general secretary, Mr. Quddus, town Congress president, Mr. A. Raji Reddy and mandal party chief, Mr. Nagesh Reddy, were present.

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Section  : Southern States
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