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Naidu “misquoted” on Telangana

HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu has termed as “incorrect” reports in a section of press that his party had no problem if the Centre went ahead and formed separate Telangana.

Mr. Naidu said all he told a group of press persons in an informal interaction was that it was a sensitive issue and would have to be discussed thoroughly within the party before making its stand clear. “Everyone including media should maintain restraint given the sensitive nature of issue”.

Replying to another question, he said while respecting the sentiment of the people of the region, his party had been consistently fighting for the issues affecting them.

It was not Congress or TRS but TDP that took up issues like construction of Babli project by Maharashtra, carrying of the pictorial warning on beedi rolls and IIT at Basra.

That was why it was strong in the region. In contrast, all that the Congress was doing was to divide people on regional lines.

“The best example was Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy himself. By taking all projects from -- golf course, IIIT, railway station spending State allocation of Rs. 540 crore and outer ring road to his Idupulapaya estate in his Pulivendula constituency, he was creating ill-will in other regions and hurting their sentiments.”

Asked to comment on the letter written to him by former party MLA N. Prasanna Kumar Reddy seeking nomination of Telugu film actor Balakrishna to Rajya Sabha, he said, “A lot of people have their own views. The party will have to decide. Instead of writing letter he should have met me.”

He condemned the RSS attack on the CPI (M) office in New Delhi and said the UNPA would support the latter when it raises the issue in Parliament.

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