Naidu reiterates stand on Telangana

To expose ‘dirty political game’ played by Cong, TRS, YSRCP over bifurcation All three parties playing to the script written in Delhi To take up Bus Yatra in Telangana as well CM also a party to the script

V Ramu Sarma

Hyderabad: Reiterating that there is no question of taking a U turn on the issue of bifurcation of the State, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, on Saturday, said that he was launching his bus yatra from Guntur on Sunday to expose the “dirty political game,” being played by the Congress, TRS and YSRCP with a single point agenda to damage the TDP.

Talking to media on the eve of his bus yatra, Naidu said all these three parties had scripted a plan with a single aim to damage the political fortunes of TDP; the Congress ministers, MPs and perhaps even the Chief Minister was a party to it. They have pushed the State into a serious crisis and are trying to rake up passions and create hatred among people from the two regions for their narrow political gains, he added.

The Congress party had realised that it was on a very sticky wicket and wining elections on its own in the State was out of question. Hence, it scripted a plan to announce bifurcation of the State, merge TRS with Congress and have alliance with YSRCP, so that it could reap benefits in the elections. It is this which has prompted Congress to directly contact with these two party leaders and make them act according to the tunes of 10 Janpath, Naidu said.

As a party which was born to protect the interests of the Telugus across the globe, TDP cannot take such narrow partisan attitude and hence it considers people from both Telangana and Seemandhra region as its own people and as equals. There are apprehensions in the minds of the people from both Seemandhra and Telangana regions and if the Centre has any “common sense,” it should by now have called stakeholders from both regions like intellectuals, NGOs, employees and social organisations and should hold talks before announcing the roadmap for carving a separate state. One would not have found fault with the Congress party if it had just announced a policy decision, addressed the concerns of the people of all regions and then gone ahead with the process of bifurcation.

He felt that Congress MPs, Union and State Ministers and perhaps even the Chief Minister were fully aware of what the high command has in its mind. The leaders from Seemandhra conveniently gave their nod then but fearing rout in the elections in the wake of the backlash in Seemandhra region were now crying foul.

He said he was completely aware of the problems and roadblocks his bus yatra might run into, but “When people are on roads, as a leader I cannot sit at home. I agree injustice has been to done to the people of Seemandhra and I will stand by them till the Centre does full justice to both sides,” he added. He said if any political party tries to create problems, he will face them politically and as far as people were concerned, he will face them at different levels.

Naidu said it was unfortunate that the centre had not even thought of calling the agitating people and try to find out what exactly are their concerns. Even the Congress leaders are not representing those issues but were claiming that they had succeeded in getting the issue of bifurcation on hold for some time. A permanent solution to the problem is the need of the hour not temporary solutions, he added. Replying to a question, Naidu said that he would also take up bus yatra in Telangana region at a later date.