BJP's Telangana Strike Political Ploy: Congress

The Congress, on Monday, accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to draw mileage from the demand for Telangana statehood.

Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan, Andhra Pradesh Congress committee spokesperson N Tulasi Reddy recalled that the BJP, which gave the slogan of One Vote - Two States, changed its stance after the National Democratic Alliance came to power at the Centre. Referring to a speech delivered by the then Home Minister L K Advani on September 21, 2000, at an event conducted by the National Industrial Security Academy (NISA), he said that Advani had categorically ruled out the formation of Telangana. He furnished newspaper clippings wherein Advani was quoted as saying that since the capital Hyderabad is located in the Telangana region, there was no need for the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

However, said Tulasi Reddy, the BJP was now trying to gain political mileage and, hence, Advani has started advocating statehood for the Telangana region.

Reddy said that other BJP leaders, including Ch Vidyasagar Rao, have been openly objecting to the Telangana state formation.

Describing the BJP's hunger strike in Delhi for Telangana as a political ploy, he said that the BJP was just trying to encash upon the Telangana sentiments. (INN)