Don’t dither further on Telangana, Dr. JP tells Center

Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan today demanded that the Union Government take a decision on the demand for and against a separate Telangana State without further delay.

The Union Government has subjected Telugu-speaking people to incalculable harm by dithering on the issue for the last one year and a half. Politicians at the Delhi end seem to view Andhra Pradesh as a colony providing voting machines in flesh and blood to serve their narrow partisan interests. The State has suffered a setback to industrialization and its youth have lost employment opportunities.

The Union Government’s decision, he said, should serve the interests of people in all the regions of the State and not run counter to national interests. It should be rational and logical, transparent and practicable.

Dr. JP reiterated the Lok Satta’s contention that the Union Government straightway delete Clause 14 (F) of the Presidential Order of 1975. He recalled that at the Lok Satta Party’s initiative, the Assembly had unanimously adopted a resolution seeking deletion of the controversial clause.

Pointing out that the clause and the fears of ‘free zone’ were the sparks that triggered the Telangana agitation in 2009 Dr. JP accused the Union Government of abdicating its governance responsibility by not heeding the State Assembly’s plea. He wanted the Union Government not to play football with Andhra Pradesh people’s aspirations.