Telangana issue: BJP to launch mass contact prog

In the wake of turmoil in Andhra Pradesh over Telangana issue, state unit of BJP today said it would launch a mass contact programme to mount pressure on the Central to move a bill for separate Telangana state in current session of Parliament.

Party state president and former union minister Bandaru Dattatreya told reporters here that the party has chalked out a three-day 'Racha Banda' (mass contact programme) from tomorrow in Telangana region.

The programme would be taken up in 250 mandals in the districts of Telangana region. During the programme, party leaders would visit and expose the "double speak" of ruling Congress party, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) on the issue of Telangana, he said.

Dattatreya wondered on media reports that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed his anguish over the political parties backtracking on supporting the resolution on Telangana leading to a political crisis in the state.

Taking dig at Congress, he said why Congress MLAs and MPs, who accepted the party high command's decision on the choice of Chief Minister K Rosaiah, violated the party's decision on Telangana.

The present political crisis in the state could be resolved only by the Centre by moving a bill for Telangana statehood because leaders of various political parties including Congress in the state have been divided on the issue, Dattatreya said.

Referring to resignation of MLAs and MLCs of various parties in support of pro-Telangana and unified Andhra Pradesh, the BJP chief demanded the state assembly speaker to immediately accept the resignation of those who have put in their papers as the issue was creating confusion and the people are loosing confidence in political parties and on their leaders.

Reiterating the party's commitment for separate Telangana state, Dattatreya said his party never changes its principals and policies unlike Congress which keep changing for its political gain and plays vote bank politics.