Hyderabad, January 02: Civil Supplies Minister J Krishna Rao today refuted the statements made by his Cabinet colleague and Endowments Minister G Venkata Reddy that the Congress Party never promised Telangana State. Krishna Rao said that Congress party has always been committed to form separate Telangana and termed the statements of Venkata Reddy as baseless.
Speaking to mediapersons, Krishna Rao said that Home Minister P Chidambaram gave a statement on initiating the process for formation of separate Telangana on behalf of the Union Government led by Congress party.
He affirmed that Congress party has expressed its commitment for Telangana on several occasions including its election manifesto. “One has to trust each other and there is no need to put them on a stamp paper when people like Sonia Gandhi or P Chidambaram make such statements,’’ he said.
Krishna Rao said that he could not understand why a senior leader like Venkata Reddy made statement that could fuel regional clashes. He wanted all leaders to maintain restraint and create a congenial atmosphere for bifurcation of the State. “Ministers from Telangana region have withdrawn their resignations only to create congenial atmosphere after getting clear instructions to cooperate with the Central Government for taking forward the process. All of us are committed to separate Telangana and there is no reason to doubt us,’’ he said.
–Agencies