Hyderabad : The BJP and CPI have extended their support to day-long Telangana shutdown called by TRS Thursday to oppose the central government’s reported proposal to carve out a Rayala-Telangana state.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president G. Kishan Reddy said his party was opposed to the proposal to merge Anantapur and Kurnool districts of Rayalaseema with Telangana to create Rayala-Telangana.
He wanted to know from the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government why it deviated from the resolution passed by the Congress Working Committee (CWC) for formation of Telangana state, comprising 10 districts.
He told reporters that barring Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), no other party demanded Rayala-Telangana. Kishan Reddy said they would not tolerate if the central government accept the MIM proposal.
Communist Party of India (CPI) state secretary K. Narayana urged the central government to immediately withdraw the proposal of Rayala-Telangana. He alleged that by mooting such proposals, the Congress party was playing with the lives of the people and inciting one region against the other.
Telangana Praja Front also demanded the central government to drop the proposal of Rayala-Telangana.
Addressing a meeting of the front, educationist Chukka Ramaiah and rights activists Varavara Rao and Haragopal said the people of both Rayalaseema and Telangana were opposed to the idea of Rayala-Telangana.
The speakers demanded the central government table a bill in parliament during the winter session to carve out Telangana state comprising 10 districts.
Telangana Jagruthi leader Kavita also made it clear that the people of Telangana would never accept Rayala-Telangana. She alleged that leaders from coastal Andhra were floating such ideas to stall formation of the Telangana state.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has given a call for shutdown in Telangana, which comprises 10 districts including Hyderabad. The shutdown is likely to bring normal life in the region to a halt.
Meanwhile, protests continued in Telangana against the proposal. TRS and other pro-Telangana groups took out rallies, asking the central government to drop the proposal.