Hyderabad, May 27: With both he and his party coming under fire on the Telangana issue, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu today demanded that the Centre immediately take a decision on the contentious statehood demand, now that all political parties and other stakeholders have clearly spelt out their views.
“The Government of India is unable to take a decision on the Telangana issue. The Congress should take responsibility for this because it has pushed Andhra Pradesh into a state of instability through its indecisiveness. The Congress is playing havoc with the lives of Telugu people,” Chandrababu lashed out in his inaugural address at the TDP's annual conclave ‘Mahanadu' here.
He alleged that the Congress was politicising the Telangana issue now after having making several claims in the past.
“The Congress can't change history. It was the one which came out with a statement on Telangana on December 9, 2009 and later went back and kept its decision in abeyance since there is division in political parties. Now, all the parties have expressed their views to the Srikrishna Committee and it is for the Centre to take a decision on Telangana,” Chandrababu asserted.
Trying to ward off criticism against him on the statehood issue, Chandrababu observed: “As party president it is my responsibility to protect TDP in both the regions of the state. I can't speak in favour of any particular region. But I am deeply pained at whats happening in the state.” Maintaining that Telangana statehood was a “sensitive issue” in which “sentiments” were involved, he said everyone should give think prudently on it.
Coming down heavily on the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, the TDP chief said the separatist party's merger with the Congress was imminent.
“Why is the TRS not questioning Sonia Gandhi on the statehood issue? Instead of taking on the Congress for remaining indifferent, the TRS is trying to target the TDP. The TRS is talking of burying the TDP in Telangana but no force can do it as the people are with us,” Chandrababu asserted.
Naidu alleged that the ruling Congress was solely responsible for rampant corruption in the country.
“The Congress is getting wiped out in state after state and now we have to root out corruption as well,” he said. Naidu said prices of all commodities were sky-rocketing because of indiscriminate hike in prices of fuel. “On one hand, fuel prices are being enhanced left, right and centre and on the other the government is unable to ensure even minimum support price to farmers on their produce. It's a shame for a government that boasts of an annual budget of Rs 12 lakh crore,” he said.
The government should step down if it could not control prices, he said. “People themselves will decide and show the way how to rein in the prices,” he added. Naidu lamented that farmers were facing untold hardships as the governments failed to come to their rescue in times of distress. “The farmers' condition has become so pathetic that they are steeped in debts from birth to death. They don't even have the right to export their produce due to government restrictions. Why is the Centre not implementing the recommendations of M S Swaminathan Committee on making agriculture profitable,” he questioned. Lashing out at at the Kiran Kumar Reddy government in the state, Naidu said the Chief Minister lacked experience as well as comprehension of issues.
“There is no governance in the state. Farmers are dumping their produce in rivers or burning it as they are unable to get even minimum support price. Though the Food Corporation of India is ready to procure 75 lakh tonnes of paddy from AP, the state government is unable to play the facilitator's role effectively,” the Leader of Opposition claimed. PTI
