BJP Will Give Telangana: Rajnath Singh

Bharatiya Janata Party national president Rajnath Singh, on Monday, reiterated that a separate Telangana state will soon be a reality if his party comes to power in the next elections.

Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, Rajnath Singh said that the demand for Telangana was not new, and that the BJP has always been in favour of smaller states. "We will ensure a separate state of Telangana - that's our commitment," he said.

He also slammed the UPA government for going back on its promise of fulfilling the collective demand for the formation of a separate Telangana state.

The BJP national president denied rumors of there being any rift within the party. When asked about his response to L K Advani's statement praising Madhya Pradesh's chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, he said that the statement was misinterpreted by the media.

He claimed that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was the most popular leader of the country. However, he said that the party's prime ministerial candidate would be decided by the BJP parliamentary board.

Speaking about the food security and land acquisition bills, Rajnath Singh said that the BJP was in favour of the bills, but that it insists on the incorporation of some amendments. He demanded that the UPA government advance the monsoon session of the Parliament for a proper debate.

The BJP president also questioned the UPA-II's anniversary celebrations, and said that the government had done nothing for the citizens of the country, having had "fooled" the people for 9 years.

"I wonder what the reasons are that prompted the Congress to celebrate its nine-year term. It's not like they have done anything for the country, or its people," he said.

Rajnath Singh said that the Congress has failed on all major fronts - moral, emotional, economic, and political. He pointed out that the fiscal deficit and current account deficit has gone up, and that the value of the rupee, as compared to the US dollar, has gone down during its rule.

Singh also went on to say that the government has failed to maintain cordial relations with the neighbouring countries, including Burma and Bangladesh. He also pointed out how the UPA government had failed to act when Chinese troops had intruded into the country, and when Pakistan had decapitated the body of an Indian soldier.

The BJP president accused the government of politicising the Naxal attack in Chattisgarh. He said that although the maintenance of law and order in a state was the stae's own prerogative, Naxalites are a national problem, and that the UPA government has no action plan to tackle them. (INN)