Set your house in order first, BJP tells Congress on Telangana

BJP today asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to enlist the cooperation of his own party on formation of Telangana first and said any attempt by Congress to blame the Opposition on the issue will "boomerang" on it.

Accusing Congress of having "slept" over Telangana for the last nine and a half years, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu said the ruling party never did homework and "now the entire drama is being played out" to reap benefit both ways.

"Let him (Prime Minister) enlist the cooperation of his own party. As far as we are concerned, we are clear. You bring the bill and address legitimate concerns of Seemandhra. It is the duty of government to create a proper atmosphere in the House. First put your house (Congress) in order..," he told reporters here.

Asked if the BJP would support the Telangana bill, he said, "we are closely observing the situation. We will decide according to the situation. Our commitment (to Telangana) is known. We have credibility."

He said Congress seemed to be guided by vote bank politics and that was the primary reason for the present situation in Andhra Pradesh. "You play politics and expect other parties to blindly support you."

"Don't dare criticise the Opposition, particularly BJP, without setting your house in order. It will be a misadventure to criticise others without doing homework... Without mobilising support of their own party," Naidu said.

Naidu said it had always been the "habit" of Congress to hide its failures by attacking the opponents and added, "People are intelligent. They will see through your dirty game. It will boomerang on you."

He said Congress was accusing the Opposition of adopting double standards while that party itself was doing the same.

The Congress Working Committee had passed a resolution on Telangana and government sent a draft bill to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly but their own Chief Minister (N Kiran Kumar Reddy) and MLAs from a region oppose it.