TDP is against Telangana: Ponnam

Congress Mp Ponnam Prabhakar has claimed that the Telugu Desam Party was against the formation of Telangana state.

Addressing a press conference at Congress Legislature Party here on Wednesday, Ponnam quoted a statement reportedly made by TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu stating the Telugu speaking people lived separately only for 150 years out of 3,000 years of their history. Asking Naidu to verify the historical facts, he reminded that it was during Naidu's regime that Hyderabad celebrated 400 years of its formation and Seemandhra was not a part of it.

The Karimnagar MP said that it was only in 1956 that Seemandhra region was merged with Telangana to form Andhra Pradesh. Otherwise, Telangana was always a separate State. He pointed out that prior to independence, the Telugu speaking people were divided in small kingdoms and therefore, they never lived together.

Ponnam said that Naidu's statement clearly shows that he was in favour of integrated Andhra Pradesh. He asked the members of Telangana TDP Forum to get a clear stand from their party president before trying to join the statehood movement or else, they would continue to lose the trust of the people in the region.

Ponnam also criticised his party leaders from Seemandhra region stating that they remained silent when the Congress party made its stand clear on Telangana in 2004 and 2009 elections' manifestoes, in all party-meetings and also through the statement made by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on December 9, 2009. He asked them as to why they remained silent when the party extended its support to demand for the Telangana state in 2004 manifesto.

The Congress Mp alleged that some Seemandhra leaders were acting at the behest of some businessmen demanding integrated Andhra Pradesh. He advised them not to obstruct the formation of Telangana and instead, strengthen the party in their own region. He admitted that the Congress leaders from Telangana were unable to pressurise the party High Command as they are in minority compared to their counterparts in Seemandhra region.

However, he hoped that the Centre would give a decision in favour of Telangana State soon.