T Bill: BJP gets into defensive mode, demands justice, Venakaiah accuses Congress of double standards and cheap tricks

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, Feb 15, 2014:  At a time when Congress party was trying hard to project the main opposition in the parliament, the BJP, as not supporting the contentious Telangana Bill, the saffron party leaders seems to have got into defensive mode.

 In a scathing attack on Congress led UPA, BJP senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu here on Saturday, said “You never wanted to give Telangana and pass the Bill. You just wanted to play drama and blame BJP. Your are playing cheap and dirty vote bank politics. But you will be out and there is no doubt about it. You may end up even below 50 seats. Hence this attempt to gain some seats by hook or crook and stay relevant. You are adopting double standards, not we.”

He further said that BJP was committed for the Telangana Bill but demanded justice for Seemandhra. The Bill should safeguard the interests of  Seemandhra and the public concerns are addressed properly.  It should be a lawful division, he said.  

“I have put my prestige at stake. When I discussed with Ahmed Patel, Digvijay Singh, GoM member, Jairam Ramesh  I have made very constructive suggestions and they responded positively. Mere words will not suffice, deeds are required. You should walk the talk. Legislation, allocation, sanctions by planning commission are required. Deficit to be taken care from union government’s consolidated fund for Seemandhra,” Naidu said.

Explaining that the Congress was never serious in granting statehood to Telangana, the BJP senior leader questioned why Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were absent when such an important Bill was allegedly introduced in the Loksabha.  

Further accusing Congress party of arousing regional passions in the wake of forthcoming polls, Naidu said, “You were in deep slumber for nine and half years. Suddenly, 2 months before the elections, you wake up, create fiasco and blame others. Your CM opposes, gets Assembly resolution against the proposal. Your people call him a hero. If he is hero, PM is zero and your party president is villain?”

Coming down heavily on Congress for accusing BJP of adopting double standards on T Bill, Naidu said Congress leaders tear the bill, do all the nonsense on both sides and pose as champions in both regions.

“Loksabha speaker says No confidence motion could not be taken up as the House was not in order, but has no problem for introducing Bills. House starts at 12 noon- supplementary agenda was distributed at 2pm-but according to you, the Bill was introduced at 12 o clock. What an irony? All the opposition parties said the way Bill was dealt is wrong. People have not forgotten 1969 and 1972. Since 2004, 1000 people lost their lives in Telangana, 360 people lost their lives in Andhra. Your are responsible for it,” he said.  

Naidu said several committees were appointed under Pranab Mukherjee, Rosaiah, Justice Sri Krishna and AK Antony on Telanagana earlier, but nothing was discussed in Parliament or at Congress forums.  Reiterating BJP’s commitment towards creation of Telangana, he accused Congress party and union government as villains.

He told Congress leaders to keep their house in order, stop provocative statements and bring normalcy in the House. Let parliamentary traditions and practices followed in passing the Telangan Bill.

“Discuss threadbare. Concede just demands of Seemandhra public. Let us make the dream of Telangana people a reality. And let Seemandhra people feel justice is done to them,” he added.