BJP's Telangana 'yatra' to commence tomorrow

The Andhra Pradesh unit of BJP today appealed people to make success the 22-long yatra being launched by the party in support of separate statehood for Telangana, from tomorrow.

BJP National President Nitin Gadkari would launch the Telangana Poru Yatra (struggle for Telangana) at Maktal in Mahabubnagar district tomorrow.

Alleging that the Congress has been deceiving people of Telangana region by not fulfilling its promise of carving out a separate state for the region, former Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said the issue should be resolved before next elections due in 2014.

The issue of Telangana state should not be there in the next elections, the senior BJP leader said adding the Congress party should make its stand clear on the creation.

He said the party would mobilise public opinion during the yatra beginning from tomorrow to press the UPA government to move a bill in coming budget session of the Parliament.

The yatra would be led by State Party President G Kishan Reddy which would pass through 171 mandals, 986 villages, 36 municipalities in 88 assembly constituencies and will cover a distance of about 3,500 km in nine districts of Telangana.

Earlier, Dattatreya released a audio cassette of the songs for the yatra. In the press conference party MLA E Lakshminarayana, T Rajeswara Rao, BJP Telanagana struggle committee chairman and general secretary N Ramachander Rao were also present.