By IANS,
Nagpur/New Delhi: The BJP Monday demanded a statement from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the formation of a separate state of Telangana, as protestors took to streets in the restive region of Andhra Pradesh.
The Congress said in New Delhi that a decision will be taken at an appropriate time.
Talking to reporters in Nagpur, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh said his party was in favour of carving out Telangana from Andhra Pradesh, and blamed Congress-led central government for delaying it.
“Congress gave an assurance that they will form Telangana. The BJP has been saying that there should be a separate state of Telangana, and we have been raising the issue in and out of parliament, but government has been delaying the decision,” Rajnath Singh told reporters.
“Now they are saying they need some more time. We and the people of Telangana want to know how much time is needed for formation of the state. The prime minister should make a statement on this,” he said.
Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said in New Delhi: “It is a very sensitive issue. Sentiments of people of Andhra Pradesh are attached. Ghulam Nabi Azad has already given his statement in this regard. At an appropriate time a decision will be taken.”
Demand for formation of a separate state of Telangana has been longstanding and Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde had fixed the Jan 28 deadline for the decision.
Shinde, however, Sunday issued a statement saying the “consultation process” on formation of Telangana will take “some more time”.
For the second consecutive day Monday, the Osmania University in Hyderabad remained tense with police barricading students from taking out a rally.
Raising slogans of “Jai Telangana”, the students tried to march towards Gun Park near the state assembly but were pushed back by police, who closed the university campus gates.