HYDERABAD: Senior Telangana Congress leader and CWC member K Keshava Rao today asserted that there was no change in the Congress party’s stand on Telangana issue. The process towards formation of Telangana State has already started six years ago when the Congress-led UPA Government was formed at the Centre. ``Being a democratic country, the Centre took the views of all parties before making a statement on Telangana. The proposed meeting on January 5 is not intended to corner TDP or other parties on the issue, but to seek their views,’’ he noted.
Talking to newsmen at his residence here, Keshava Rao stressed the need of State’s bifurcation on the grounds that the language spoken in Telangana and Andhra regions is not the same.
The Congress Working Committee member reminded that former Chief Minister late YS Rajasekhara Reddy had never opposed Telangana issue, but had only constituted a committee headed by K Rosaiah to take views of all parties.
The Congress party’s stand on Telangana was very clear from 2004 after entering into an alliance with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.
Further, the issue was included in the Common Minimum Programme and the Presidential address after obtaining the Central Cabinet’s approval. He urged the (Congress) leaders of Andhra and Rayalaseema regions to maintain restrain and to abide by the decision taken by the Central leadership and to cooperate towards formation of Telangana State.