TTDPF to press Centre on T Bill on March 20

Members of the Telangana Telugu Desam Party Forum would proceed to New Delhi on March 20 in a bid to press the Centre to introduce a separate Telangana state Bill in Parliament.

Revealed this to media persons at the Assembly Media Point, Telugu Desam Party MLA from Telangana Venugopala Chary on Tuesday stated that the Forum has already sought the appointments of President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister P Chidambaram.  

Mr Venugopala Chary said that the TTDPF was forced to push for the introduction of the Bill since the Union Home Minister has been delaying in convening the second-all party conclave. The TDP MLA alleged that this was part of the Congress High Command’s delaying tactics. He also accused the Congress High Command of ‘playing games’ on Telangana issue.

He also condemned Nizamabad MP Madhu Yashki Goud’s request to Congress president Sonia Gandhi to initiate proceedings to merge the Telangana Rashtra Samithi into the Congress. The TDP MLA stated the Congress was trying to suppress the Telangana agitation by enticing pro-Telangana parties to merge into it.

He alleged that Congress was the Telangana issue for getting political mileage.

Mr Venugopala Chary is tipped to succeed Nagam Janardhan Reddy as TTDPF convenor said that “there are no differences among the MLAs from Telangana and all of us are making collective efforts towards formation of Telangana state.”

Another party MLA from Telangana Motkupalli Narasimhulu stated the Telangana agitation will be intensified across the Telangana districts from April 1. He said the TDP will create awareness on how Congress, especially the Union Home Minister have cheated people and are ‘playing games’ with the Telangana issue by resorting to delaying tactics.

Mr Narasimhulu also charged the Centre of appointing the Justice Srikrishna Committee as part of its strategy to delay taking a decision and to water down the separate statehood agitation.

He demanded that Union Home Minister P Chidambaram honour the statement he had made on December 9, 2009 on Telangana.

If the Congress fails to honour the historic statement, it would bite dust in the ensuing elections, Mr Narasimhulu warned. 

Earlier, the Forum MLAs convened a meeting at Telugu Desam Legislature party office to chalk out their future course of plan on Telangana.