BJP will back Telangana Bill, says Rajnath Singh

Hyderabad: BJP national president Rajnath Singh said on Thursday that his party will support the government sponsored Telangana Bill in Parliament.

“There is no confusion. Our stand is very clear. We will support the Bill in Parliament. BJP stands by its firm commitment to Telangana,”?Singh said in New Delhi on Thursday evening.

Rajnath Singh’s statement comes as a major morale booster for supporters of the separate state especially since senior BJP leaders L.K. Advani and Sushma Swaraj had said earlier in the day that the Bill had not been properly introduced in the Lok Sabha by the home minister amidst the ruckus that rocked the house.

When asked to comment on Advani’s adverse comments, Rajnath Singh said, “I am unaware of what he said. We have not taken any U-turn. I am spelling out our party’s stand. Our party will support the Telangana Bill.”

The BJP national president, however, said that the BJP would certainly ask the central government to address the Seemandhra issues.

Several BJP leaders, advocates and others from AP had rushed to Rajnath Singh after Advani and Swaraj’s comments and warned Rajnath Singh to clear the air immediately or face mass resignation from the party in Telangana. Rajnath Singh assured the agitated leaders that the party would stand by its commitment to Telangana.

The cause of the anxiety among the pro-Telangana faction was Swaraj claiming that the AP Reorganisation Bill was not introduced as per the laid down procedures.

“I don’t know when the Speaker came and the Bill was introduced. No papers were laid in the House. We are not against the introduction of the Bill. But we never imagined that the Bill would be introduced in such a way. We will not talk to the government in any form,”?Swaraj had said.

She alleged that the Congress was trying to gain political mileage in Telangana by moving the Bill and then creating anarchy to stall it, so that the party would gain in the Seemandhra region.

“Today’s incidents put Parliament to shame. MPs went physical and released gas in which some MPs were hurt. Looks like the government wanted this ruckus. I was in Parliament till the trouble began. There was no mention about the Bill in the agenda. After the spray attack, I wanted to stay but was advised to leave,”?she said.

Senior BJP leader and MP, Jaswant Singh expressed horror at the proceedings in the House. “Parliamentary institution has been destroyed. For the sake of some votes the government is compromising on everything. It’s wrong for the government to say the Bill has been introduced. I was present in the House.”