National Match-Fixing: Naidu On Telangana

Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday called the decision on Telangana, "national match-fixing".

Talking to reporters after paying homage to TDP founder late N T Rama Rao at his Samadhi here, Naidu said that he was planning a fast in the national capital to highlight the failure of the Congress-led UPA government (at the Centre) in dealing with the Telangana issue.

He said, "The Congress government not only avoided the procedures in announcing Telangana, but also ignored the agitation going on in the Seemandhra region for the last 70 days."

He said that through his indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar, he wants to draw the country's attention to the Telangana issue as it has national implications as well.

The TDP chief accused the Congress of resorting to "opportunistic politics" on the Telangana issue while trying to take political advantage. He said that he would write to the leaders of all political parties, seeking their intervention and support.

He added that the Centre should have convened an all-party meeting to discuss the solution for the ongoing agitation in the Seemandhra region. However, he said that the Congress government has completely avoided the path of negotiations to resolve the crisis.

Later, Naidu left for Delhi along with other leaders. Several TDP MPs and MLAs had already assembled at the national capital for Naidu's "deeksha", which he was set to begin after paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat. (INN)