Hyderabad, August 29: The BJP MP, eminent legal luminary and president of Bar Council of Supreme Court, Mr Ram Jethmalani, on Saturday exuded confidence that “something good” will come out of the Centre-sponsored Justice B N Srikrishna Committee Report.
Addressing a largely-attended media conference at NSS conference hall here, Mr Jethmalani said that the BJP was committed to separate Telangana state and assured the party’s oral, political and legislative support for the formation of Telangana state. Supporting the movement for separate State on behalf of his party, the former Union law minister observed that the Telangana movement was not a secessionist movement like Kashmir as the agitation was going on for decades right from 1956.
Mr Jethmalani said that the Gentlemen’s Agreement signed between the Telangana and Coastal Andhra political leaders during the merger to become Andhra Pradesh formation proved utter flop as the peoples of both the regions could not mingle freely for various reasons. He also felt that the Krishna river waters were not being fairly used for the Telangana region. Though revenue contribution from the Telangana region was substantive, its share did not commensurate with it.
He also observed that gross injustice was meted out to the people of the Telangana region in educational facilities and jobs. The outcry of the people of the region for control over the natural resources was quite justifiable. Being a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, he could contribute his bit for the cause, he said.
Referring to the sacrifices being made by the young people in the movement, the jurist felt that their noble sacrifices would not go in vain and something good would come out certainly come from the Justice B N Sri Krishna Committee. Stating that Assembly was not competent to give Telangana on its own, Mr Jetmalani made it clear that only the Union government could carve out separate State by introducing a Bill to that effect in Parliament.
Praising Mr Justice B N Srikrishna as a man of total integrity, Mr Jethmalani said that the former was the fittest person to head the Committee and render justice. He also advised the lawyers to submit memoranda to the committee.
The Supreme Court advocate, president of Indian Young Lawyers’ Forum and president of Telangana Praja Rajyam party, Mr E V Venugopal, the secretary, Mr Vijay Komi Reddy, and others were present.
——-NSS