The Hindu : Front Page : Advani had turned down separate Telangana

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Thursday, Apr 27, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Advani had turned down separate Telangana

K.V. Prasad

As then Home Minister in 2002 BJP leader wanted to avoid issue of creating new States

NEW DELHI: Days after Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani came out in support of separate Telangana, it has now surfaced that as Union Home Minister in 2002 he took a different stand and told the Congress that it was best to avoid re-opening the issue of creating new States.

"Setting up a States Reorganisation Commission is bound to set off vociferous demands/agitations for the creation of these and many other States. We will, therefore, be sparking off pockets of unrest in a large number of places. It will not be possible, on the other hand, to accede to many of the demands on security or practical considerations," Mr. Advani said in his letter dated January 5, 2002, to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The then Home Minister said it was perhaps be "best if we avoid reopening the issue of creation of additional States." He said the Government was aware of the demands for the creation of Vidharba and Telangana, and even mentioned to the sporadic demands for the creation of Bodoland, Gorkhaland, Kamtapur, Bundelkhand, Harit Pradesh, Paschim Pradesh, Poorvanchal, Saurashtra and Kaushal etc.

Mr. Advani said as regards the cases of Uttaranchal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, they stood on a different footing where the parent State felt that a part thereof may be reconstituted into separate States.

"There was a broad consensus across the board for the creation of these States,'' he said, and cautioned that in future the Government may consider demands for the reorganisation of any State only if such a broad consensus emerged and backed by a resolution of the Legislature of the parent State.

In the wake of demands from various States and within its party units, the Congress Working Committee had resolved that a second States Reorganisation Commission should be set up to go in to the issue.

Earlier this month, Mr. Advani said the BJP was willing to back the demand for separate Telangana. The BJP even advised the Telangana Rashtra Samiti to switch political sides to garner support in pursuance of its stated goal of separate Statehood for the region.

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