Dubbing Centre's move to defer its decision on Telangana as a "betrayal" of the people, the BJP today asked the Government to stick to its earlier deadline by announcing the formation of a separate state before Monday evening.
Party leader Prakash Javadekar also accused the Congress of "playing with the sentiments" of the people of Telangana and warned that their patience cannot be taken for granted for long.
"Today's statement is nothing but backing out. This is nothing but betrayal. The will of the people of Telangana who are protesting in a democratic and sane manner is not being respected. The Congress and Centre are making the whole process a mockery," he told reporters here.
Javadekar was reacting to statements by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Congress General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad that "more consultations" are needed on the Telangana issue.
"The Government should not delay the process further. It should stick to its deadline of tomorrow. We want the Government to announce a separate Telangana by tomorrow evening," he said.
About Shinde's statement, Javadekar said: "He can change his mind. 24 hours is more than enough for consultations within the Congress party." Javadekar said all parties except the Congress are supportive of the Telangana demand and accused the ruling party of speaking in "two voices" on the issue.
He also said the BJP would not only raise the issue in Parliament but also force the government to announce a separate Telangana state. BJP wants a Telangana state to be formed and has promised to create it within 100 days of coming to power.