State BJP president G Kishan Reddy’s three-day deeksha to bring pressure on the Centre to make an announcement on Telangana began at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Monday.
The BJP is terming it Telangana Poru Deeksha in an attempt not to lag behind the TRS and the CPI in the electoral race on the Telangana turf.
Party senior leader Rajnath Singh garlanded Kishan Reddy to set the stage for the commencement of the Deeksha.
State BJP leaders, including former Union minister of state for home Ch Vidyasagar Rao, were present.
Kishan Reddy said the movement for Telangana state would go on until the Congress realised how strong the public opinion was in favour of a Telangana state and came up with a categorical and unambiguous statement on creation of a separate state.
He said Congress president Sonia Gandhi should take responsibility for the deaths of 850 youths who committed suicide because her party had gone back on its promise to concede the Telangana people’s demand.
The Congress fought the elections in 2004 in alliance with TRS and promising statehood for Telangana.
But even after eight years the Congress was not showing inclination to carve out Telangana from Andhra Pradesh, he said.
“If the UPA introduces a bill to felicitate formation of Telagnana state, the BJP will support it.
We will even ensure passage of the bill regardless of the stances of parties like MIM, TDP and CPM,” Kishan Reddy said.
Telangana Joint Action Committee chairman M Kodandaram, expressing solidarity with the BJP leader’s Deeksha, said TJAC was a forum for all Telangana parties and organisations and would lend its support to whoever raised a voice for Telangana.
“TJAC does not fight elections.
We are not interested in political positions but in statehood for Telangana.
” Kodandaram said said all that the people of Telangana wanted was that the Congress should keep its promise.
“In 2004 and in 2009, the Congress promised the people that it would form Telangana state as soon as it came to power.
It came to power on both the occasions but Telangana state was not formed,” he said.