Congress treating Telangana as 'an internal party matter': Venkaiah Naidu

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader M. Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday accused the Congress-led UPA government of mismanaging the proposed bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, and said the Centre was treating it as an internal party matter.

"Congress has mismanaged the entire issue. It is treating this as a family matter and an internal party matter. They have not taken their own party men into confidence. They want to create hurdles. The Congress chief minister and his supporters say they will defeat the resolution," he told media here today.

"So, if anybody has got any doubt, their doubt should be directed towards the Congress Party, not towards Bharatiya Janata Party. We created three states without any violence and we divided the states in a peaceful manner. The government should also think of addressing problems of the region," he added.

Several leaders like YRS Congress Party chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu went on an indefinite hunger strike to protest against the bifurcation of the state.

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has assured the people of Seemandhra that all their concerns over the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh would be addressed by the government.

"I appeal to the people of Seemandhra to create an environment for a healthy dialogue process. I am confident that we can achieve an amicable solution that benefits and safeguards the interests of people of all regions of Andhra Pradesh," he had said.

He also said that a Group of Ministers (GoM) would address all these issues in a comprehensive manner and hold a detailed consultation with all stakeholders.

On October 3, the Union Cabinet had decided to go ahead with the process for the creation of a separate Telangana state carved out from Andhra Pradesh.