HYDERABAD: People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) national president KG Kannabiran today suggested to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to consider the demand for separate Telangana State.
In a letter to Sonia Gandhi, he said the Government could still introduce a bill in the Parliament for formation of a separate State. “I am not saying that it should be passed before elections.
Debate would be on in the election process,” he said, adding that in the Indian Constitution, under Article three and the proviso to that Article contains certain stipulation facilitating formation of separate states.
Saying that Naxalism might be shown as an excuse for formation of separate State, the PUCL leader said Naxalism has been there for the last six decades.
He said the demand for separate Telangana State has been there for quite some time. The demand for Uttaranchal and Chhattisgarh came much later. It would be wrong to avoid the issue by saying that it would be considered at the second States Reorganisation Commission, Kannabiran said.
He said by referring the issue to the second SRC, the Government would only be giving scope for stirring a hornet’s nest and project chauvinistic forces to create political instability.
He recalled the intervention of former prime minister Indira Gandhi following violent agitation for Telangana State and how she brought about a consensus by making some constitutional adjustments.