BJP leader LK Advani, whose Jan Chetna Yatra passed through parts of Telangana on Wednesday, said a resolution of the Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly was not required to form the new state.
"These days I have been hearing that first of all what is needed is a resolution by the state assembly… Let me emphasise the Constitution of India does not provide (for) anything of that kind," he said at Nizamabad, 155 km northwest of Hyderabad.
He said forming a new state was Parliament's responsibility.
Advani said the dream of people of Telangana region to have their own state could be realised by early 2012 if the UPA government presented the necessary bill at the beginning of the Winter Session. The BJP would extend its support if the government tabled the bill, he told mediapersons.
Asked if the BJP had factored in the feelings of people of other regions of Andhra Pradesh for remaining united, Advani said formation of smaller states was a necessity from the standpoint of administrative convenience.
Later, addressing a rally in the town on the ninth day of his campaign, Advani said, "Two years ago, home minister P Chidambaram told Parliament the process of forming a separate state will be initiated, but within 15 days the Centre went back on its word. This has never happened in the history of the country."
{{/usCountry}}Later, addressing a rally in the town on the ninth day of his campaign, Advani said, "Two years ago, home minister P Chidambaram told Parliament the process of forming a separate state will be initiated, but within 15 days the Centre went back on its word. This has never happened in the history of the country."
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Advani's scheduled yatra at Naharlagun in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday is posing a challenge for security forces battling communal violence arising out of a leadership tussle within the ruling Congress.
Naharlagun and Itanagar, 9 km apart, form the frontier state's capital complex.