Centre backtracking on Telangana: Kisenji

Coming out in support of creation of a separate state of Telangana, top Maoist leader Kisenji today accused the Centre of "depriving" people of the region of their legitimate rights by "backtracking" from its move to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh.

Kisenji, who hails from Telangana, told PTI, "after Home Minister P Chidamabaram declared that Telangana will be given statehood which prompted Telangana Rastriya Samity Chief K Chandrasekhar Rao to break his fast, the Centre is now backtracking."

He alleged, "the Congress doesn't want to create a separate state of Telangana and so they are creating disturbance in the state."

Kisenji claimed that this was not the first time that the Congress was going back on its words. "They have denied the people of Vidarbha a separate state."

Asked whether a new state would solve the problems of the people of Telangana, he said, "This is a 50-year-old demand. Many people have given their lives for it. It is the time for the government to show respect to it.

"I am from Telangana and my friends sacrificed their lives for a separate state," Kisenji said.

He said a separate Telangana state was required to protect the culture, religion and language of people there.