Ranchi, Dec 15 (IANS) Main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday called for the setting up of a national commission to look into the demands for carving out new states following the central government giving its consent to the formation of a separate Telangana state.
“The central government should constitute a national-level state re-organisation commission to study the viability of new states considering the social, economic, political and other aspects. The comprehensive study report should be placed before the parties for their views,” BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters here.

“The central government should take all the parties into confidence before taking any decision based on the commission report. Even NDA (National Democratic Alliance) had created three new states in consultation with the parties and respective state governments.”

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had on Dec 9 agreed to carve out Telangana as a separate state from Andhra Pradesh.

“The UPA government seems to be confused over the Telangana issue. The central government should have consulted its own government functioning in Andhra Pradesh. BJP supports the creation of a separate Telangana state,” Singh said.

After the Telangana announcement, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati demanded carving of separate states of Purvanchal, Harit Pradesh and Bundelkhand out of UP while the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is seeking Gorkhaland out of West Bengal’s northern region.