Call for smaller states can harm country: CPI-M

The CPI-M warned Thursday that calls for creating newer states could unleash "potentially disruptive tensions in the country".

An editorial in the party organ "People's Democracy" pointed out that the decision to split Andhra Pradesh had led to calls to carve Darjeeling out of West Bengal and Bodoland out of Assam.

"Such calls for creation of newer states on the basis of various identities has serious consequences not only for the federal content and structure of the Indian constitution but also in unleashing potentially disruptive tensions in the country," it said.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist said it had "all along stood for the integrity of the union of Indian states based on this democratic principle of linguistic reorganisation".

"The mishandling of the situation by both the central government and state governments led by the Congress in various states has now given rise to a large number of demands from various parts of the country for formation of separate states.

"Therefore, while the current process for the formation of Telangana is on, it is of utmost necessity that people must maintain peace and tranquility and shun the proclivity to succumb to provocation."