Advani's Telangana remarks were a flip-flop over '82

Barely 24 hours ago, on Day Two of his “Jana Chetana Yatra,” BJP veteran L K Advani said the party supported Telangana and exhorted the Congress party to introduce in Parliament the bill to create a separate Telangana.

Playing up the Telangana card, Advani at his Kamareddy public meeting asked the United Progressive Alliance government to shun its “indecisiveness” and make the statehood dream a reality by New Year.

Eating own words

Advani was eating his own words on Telangana uttered in 2002 when he was the Union home minister.

 Then, Advani had developed cold feet on the Telangana demand and had said regional disparities in economic development could be tackled through planning and efficient use of available resources.

In a letter to Ale Narendra, then party MP, on April 2, 2002, Advani said the Centre had not proposed to create a separate state of Telangana.

The BJP, following separation from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) after the 2004 elections, had blamed the regional party for not allowing National Democratic Alliance to carve out Telangana state. The BJP said the TDP came in the way of announcing Telangana and that its 33 MPs were against a separate state of Telangana.

Advani’s letter shows that the TDP was not opposed to Telangana but the power-hungry BJP was not in a mood to grant Telangana statehood. Commenting on Advani’s yatra being denied entry into the Telangana region, former speaker and TDP leader Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said Advani’s yatra was not against corruption, but for a separate Telangana .

Advani entered Andhra Pradesh near Adilabad on Tuesday. He addressed a series of meetings in Adilabad, Nizamabad, Medak and Hyderabad.

In 2006, Advani had avoided touring coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema in view of the raging agitation against Telangana.

“We will burn your rath if it enters coastal Andhra,” the Samaikhya Andhra JAC leaders had threatened. Advani’s effigies were burnt by Samaikhya Andhra activists in Guntur and Visakhapatnam against his pro-Telangana statements.