Thaindian News

New Delhi, Feb 23 (ANI): Congress on Wednesday said it will take up the issue of a separate Telangana state after presentation of the Union Budget.

Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told reporters this assurance was given by the Leader of the Lok Sabha, Pranab Mukherjee, to a group of party MPs from Telangana, who met him today.

Ahmed said the MPs also met Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi in this regard.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today urged the government to announce formation for separate Telangana state without delay.

BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain suggested the government to bring a bill in the Budget Session of Parliament.

“BJP will extend all support to the government,” he told reporters here.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned twice earlier today after members representing the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Congress vociferously raised the separate Telangana state issue in the House.

TRS MPs K Chandrasekhar Rao and M Vijayashanti stalled House proceedings, demanding the status of their notice for adjournment on Telangana issue.

Even before Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar could take up Question Hour, both pressed an adjournment motion.

The Speaker’s direction to raise the matter during Zero Hour failed to cut ice with the TRS members.

Some Congress members, including M Jagannath, Madhu Goud Yaskhi and Sarvey Satyanarayana also raised slogans on the issue.

The Speaker first adjourned proceedings till 11:30 a.m.

When the House re-assembled, Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj made a strong plea for introducing a bill in the House for a debate on Telangana, saying the government should move it during the current session.

” If anything is going on, it is the firing of rubber bullets. This can be resolved right way, the Prime Minister is sitting here. If he says that the government will bring a bill for a separate Telangana, we will support it,” Swaraj said.

Several Telangana-related protests and shutdowns have brought Andhra Pradesh to a stand still.

The Central Government has appointed a judicial commission headed by former Supreme Court Justice Srikrishna to look into issue.

The report, submitted to Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in December last year, has suggested at least six options, including maintaining status quo in the state or bifurcating the state. (ANI)