Is the BJP central leadership changing its tune on Telangana? All along, the saffron party has been a staunch supporter of the statehood for the region.
In fact, it was the first major party to include Telangana statehood in its election manifesto way back in 1999.
However, in the changed political dynamics, the BJP leadership appears to be changing its tack.
The indication of a changing strategy has come from the party's seniormost leader L K Advani who said that the creation of Telangana state may not become a reality before the 2014 general elections.
He also predicted that the President's rule could become unavoidable in the state as the state government has been finding it difficult to go along with the Centre's move towards bifurcation.
Significantly, the BJP veteran said that the Congress should have taken care to handle the issue in a delicate manner so as not to be seen riding roughshod over the apprehensions of one region in favour of the other.
He said that the concerns and apprehensions of the people of Seemandhra should be taken into consideration.
Advani recalled how the NDA government had created three new states-- Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhan and Jharkhand-- without any hassles. He lamented that the UPA government has brought things to such a pass that it appears unable to go ahead with the bifurcation unless the President’s rule is imposed.
He accused the Congress of adopting a lackadaisical attitude towards the concerns of the common people.
Advani’s remarks assume significance in the backdrop of his party's efforts to rope in new alliance partners ahead of the 2014 elections.
The party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has been particularly keen on taking the Telugu Desam Party on board and thus showcase his abilities to strike new alliances.
Recently, a delegation of the Seemandhra BJP leaders apprised the top leaders of the volatile situation in their region and the need for ensuring a fair package and deal by taking into consideration the apprehensions of the region over education, employment and irrigation and revenue sharing.
