Hyderabad, December 16: Even as the issue of statehood for Telangana virtually divided the state on regional lines cutting across political parties, Telugu Desam Party leaders from Telangana today maintained that the party was still committed to its stand for supporting bill for carving out Telangana from Andhra Pradesh.
Addressing a press conference at the NTR Trust Bhavan, the state party headquarters, TDP Telangana leaders, including Mr N Janardhan Reddy, T Devender Goud and M Narasimhulu, assured the Telangana people that the party had not changed the stand it had taken in favour of Telangana state after an elaborate exercise of collecting public opinion.
The TDP Telangana leaders’ assurance came at a time when party MPs from Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, taking a diametrically opposite stand, stalled the proceedings in both the Houses of Parliament in support of united Andhra Pradesh, leading to adjournments. They dismissed as rumours the TDP’s supposed ‘U’ turn on the issue after the Centre announced its decision on last Wednesday to set in motion the process of separate Telangana state.
”There is no change in the party’s stand on the Telangana issue,” they maintained, appealing to the people from the region not to be carried away by ”misleading” media reports.
Putting pressure on party President N Chandrababu Naidu for constitution of Telangana unit of the TDP, the party leaders from Telangana had earlier threatened to revolt against the leadership in the event of any change in the party’s stand on the issue.
——Agencies