'The BJP's double speak on Telangana is painful'

Madhu Goud Yaskhi, a Congress MP from the Telangana region, is an avowed advocate of a separate state. Following Thursday’s ruckus, he says there is no guarantee that the Telangana Bill will go through in Parliament.

Yaskhi spoke to rediff.com’s Vicky Nanjappa

“Let us not talk about political calculations for a while. The double standards of the Bharatiya Janata Party could block the Telangana bill from going through in Parliament. Does the BJP understand that there will be a civil war in Andhra Pradesh if the Bill is blocked? The BJP's double speak is painful.

“I can vouch that the Bill was tabled yesterday. The BJP says we should have served a notice. They are quoting technicalities in a bid to stall the bill. What they are concerned about is the Telegu Desam Party which has held them to ransom. The BJP is desperate for an alliance with them”

“The BJP should realise the consequences of their actions.”

“The Congress will bring the bill back on Monday after the vote-on-account. There will be a four hour debate on the subject and we are hopeful that better sense would prevail upon all and ensure that the Bill is passed.”

“The 16 MPs have been suspended after those ugly scenes on Thursday. But there are few ministers in the government who hail from Seema-Andhra who could pose a problem. The Congress is in talks with them to ensure the passage of the bill and we hope that they remain quiet like they have done so in the past as well.”

“We (leaders from Telangana) have appealed to the people of our region to stay calm and not get worked up on what has been happening. Each one of us is committed to the cause and will not let unruly scenes and behaviour derail the process.”

“It was a dark day yesterday and we hope Parliament never sees a repeat of that. The people of Seema-Andhra need to see through all this and realise that their MPs are only acting contrary to their interests. The government is committed to safeguarding their interests as well.”