Telangana expert group a futile exercise, says BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday, rejected the newly-formed expert group on Telangana "lock, stock and barrel",
saying that it was a delaying tactic and a futile exercise as  no time-frame or terms of reference had been spelt out for the
committee by the government.

"The BJP rejects lock, stock and barrel the committee set up  by the Central government for consultation on the situation in
Andhra Pradesh. It will serve no purpose as there is no clear reference for creation of Telangana. Neither any time-frame is
laid, nor terms of reference spelt out," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said. He accused the government of forming this committee as a "delaying tactic" which would be "a futile exercise".

Javadekar described the expert group as an "eyewash" that would add "insult to injured sentiments" of the Telangana people. "This is essentially a political issue, which requires a firm political decision and action by the Central government,"
he said.  The BJP has also questioned the appointment of a retired judge as head of this expert group as no legal issue was
involved here.

The main opposition has raised eyebrows about the stand of the Congress and TDP on Telangana and asked them to clarify
their stand. "The BJP demands that the government should move a Bill for  creation of Telangana in the ensuing Budget session of  Parliament and we are committed to support it," he said.

Javadekar claimed that by forming this committee, the government had abdicated its constitutional obligation of forming the new state. The BJP insisted that since a consensus had already been  formed in December on formation of Telangana, there was no need to form an expert group. "On December 7, all parties had agreed for creation of Telangana in the meeting convened by Chief Minister K Rosaiah in Hyderabad. But suddenly after December 9, Congress, TDP and PRP made a U-turn and adopted double standards," Javadekar said.

He said both these parties were now adopting double standards and speaking in two voices. "This U-turn has caused the turmoil in the state. These parties need to take a definite stand, which is a political process," Javadekar said. The Rajya Sabha MP reiterated the BJP belief that formation of Telangana would not lead to any conflict between the new state and Andhra Pradesh. "BJP believes that two states will co-exist peacefully and prosper rapidly," he said.