Parties to nail UPA govt over Telangana promise

In response to the reports that the Srikrishna committee will not take a clear call on Telangana, the parties are now planning to renew the demand for a bill on Telangana in Parliament.

In response to the reports that the Srikrishna committee will not take a clear call on Telangana, the parties are now planning to renew the demand for a bill on Telangana in Parliament.

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On the eve of the first anniversary of the Centre's announcement on initiating the process for creating a Telangana state, the BJP on Wednesday wanted to know when "the Sonia Gandhi birthday gift, promised by the UPA government, would be delivered". It will hold a dharna at Jantar Mantar on Thursday.

In Hyderabad, TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, who had been preparing a rally, named Telangana Maha Gharjana, of over 20 lakh people in Warangal, demanded introduction of the bill in the budget session.

The rally which was to coincide with the date of announcement of the Telangana state, fell through because of rains. The rally will now be held on December 16 informed T Harish Rao, politburo member. Rao has asked people to hoist Telangana flags on Thursday.

In a convention here on Wednesday, BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj, Venkaiah Naidu and NDA convener Sharad Yadav demanded the formation of Telangana at the earliest. The party had earlier submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking for introduction of the Telangana statehood bill in the budget session.

"The state was announced in haste at midnight, as the Congress thought it would be fitting on Sonia Gandhi's birthday. But even after a year, there is no commitment from the UPA government on Telangana," G Kishan Reddy, Andhra BJP chief, said.