Delay in Telangana formation, Gadkari accuses government of inefficiency

Hyderabad, Jan 20 (ANI): Slamming the Central Government's inefficiency to form a separate Telangana state, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Nitin Gadkari has promised the people of Andhra Pradesh that if his party came in power it would bring a bill in the Parliament to carve out a separate state.

Addressing a public meeting organised at Maktal in Mahabubnagar district on the occasion of flagging off a rally in support of the separate Telangana organised by Andhra Pradesh state unit chief G Kishan Reddy, Gadkari said: "I promise you that after our party comes in power, we will present a bill in the Parliament demanding autonomous status and independence to Telangana state and we will surely form an independent Telangana."

Gadkari further said that the country would take a sigh of relief from corruption and scams, when Congress would be defeated in the coming assembly elections.

"Home Minister Chidambaram had announced about the formation of independent Telangana state but the Congress party, its chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have cheated the people of Telangana," he added.

He also further promised if BJP is voted in power, the party would work towards utilizing the water of Krishna river to give relief to the drought struck Telangana district.

"If water comes in Krishna river and six are constructed on the Godavari river, then around one crore acre of land in the drought hit Telangana district will get a new life," added Gadkari.

Pro-Telangana activists have stepped up their efforts for the four-decade-old demand of a separate state, which is sought to be carved out of the economically less developed parts of Andhra Pradesh.

The struggle gathered momentum last year after the UPA government accepted their demand in principle.

Several protests and shutdowns had brought Andhra Pradesh to a near halt in 2009 and 2010, as pro-Telangana activists persisted with their demand. (ANI)