The Bharatiya Janata Party has assured the people of Telangana that it would grant a separate state within six months if the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) comes to power in the 2014 general elections.
Party national president Rajnath Singh, who inaugurated the three-day deeksha (hunger strike) staged by AP BJP president G Kishan Reddy at Jantar Mantar said: “Being a national party sincere to the cause, only the BJP can realise the aspirations of the people of Telangana… I assure you that the we will announce separate statehood within six months of forming government if NDA returns to power in 2014”.
Former civil aviation minister Shanawaz Hussain led a candlelight protest at the venue on Monday evening.
BJP activists plan to take out a protest march up to the Prime Minister’s residence on Tuesday. Sushma Swaraj, the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, is likely to lead the demonstrators. It is learnt that she is to be accompanied by the party’s former national president, M Venkaiah Naidu.
Prominent Telangana leaders, including Telangana Political Joint Action Committee (T-JAC) chairman M Kodandaram, T-JAC convener Swamy Goud and Deviprasad Rao, president of the Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers’ body (TNGO), participated in the deeksha.