Ajit Singh launches RLD unit in Telangana

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief and Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Sunday launched a separate unit of his party for Telangana while strongly backing the demand of statehood for the region.

The party will be headed by Telangana United Front president Dilip Kumar who is also a member of the Andhra Pradesh legislative council.

Announcing names of an RLD executive committee for Telangana, Ajit Singh declared: “I am for formation of a separate Telangana state. This is just the beginning. We need to unite all those who are part of the movement.”  

Singh also held talks with Members of Parliament from the Telangana region and leaders of Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) where he called for a united fight for achieving the statehood.

Earlier in the day, Singh, accompanied by his son Jayant Choudhary, attended a breakfast meeting at Congress MP Madhu Yaskhi Goud’s residence in which Congress leader K Keshava Rao, MPs, JAC convener M Kodandaram and other leaders were also present.

He announced an executive committee for the RLD's Telangana unit and said the recent Telangana march held in Hyderabad was being discussed in Delhi. However, he said it would be difficult to predict when the Union government would carve out the Telangana state.

Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who is known for his pro-united AP stance, surprised everyone by his presence at the meeting called by Singh. However, Owaisi clarified that he has come to meet his friend Jayant. “There is no politics here, it is just a courtesy call,” he added.