Pro-Telangana parties condemn PM's remark

The Telangana Joint Action Committee, Telangana Rashtra Samithi and other pro-Telangana parties on Wednesday criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks that the Centre was trying to arrive at a consensus on Telangana issue.

"We condemn the remarks of the Prime Minister. The central leadership should be impartial. But we are getting the feeling that it has come under the vicious influence of the affluent sections of the 'Seemandhra' (Rayalaseema and coastal AP regions)," JAC Convener M Kodandaram told mediapersons.

"We appeal to the Prime Minister and Congress leaders not to betray Telangana. The consensus came long ago. As many as 36 parties gave letters to the Pranab Mukherjee committee (which worked during 2004-2009). It is not fair to betray us in the name of consensus," TRS MLA and party president K Chandrasekhar Rao's son K T Rama Rao said in Warangal.

Criticising the Prime Minister for saying that the Centre is trying to arrive at a consensus on Telangana issue, senior Telugu Desam Party MLA from Telangana N Janardhan Reddy claimed "it is shameful for the Prime Minister to say so".

"Congress promised Telangana. It included the issue in the President's address to a joint session of Parliament. It had announced on December 9 (in 2009) that it will start the process of formation of separate Telangana. It is shameful for the Prime Minister to talk about consensus now," he said.

During his interaction with television editors today, the Prime Minister said: "I think this is a complicated issue and we are trying to evolve a consensus. The Home Minister had one round of meeting with all the political parties. He will call these political parties again because the first round was just for handing them over the Srikrishna Committee report."