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Speaking to the media at the CLP office here on Monday, Gade said he batted for the United Andhra Pradesh and argued in favor of Samaikyandhra and K R Suresh Reddy argued in favor of separate Telangana State. Gade said there was no truth in the reports published by a section of the media that Sushil Kumar Shinde did not allow him to speak at the meeting.
Faulting K R Suresh Reddy’s statement that Shinde had said that the Congress was in favour of division of the State, Gade said, “I am sorry to say that he twisted the facts”. Reiterating that there was no unanimous opinion in the Congress party on Telangana issue, Gade said he would stick to whatever decision taken by the party high command though he was a staunch integrationist.
Alleging that the TDP had adopted separate Telangana stand only to disturb the Congress politically as it was done in 2009 elections by entering into an alliance with the TRS, he said the TDP and CPI were adopting opportunistic political policy on Telangana issue by changing their stand now and then. He said there was no need to bother about YSRCP, which said nothing at all-party meeting.
The Seemandhra leader said the Congress high command directed the Congress representatives to express their individual views and it was not correct to say that the Congress was for division of the State. He said the Congress was not a sub-regional party to have consensus.
He said the Centre was the final authority to take a decision on Telangana issue and all have to abide by it. He felt that the TDP would face severe repercussions soon for agreeing division of the State. He also quoted former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s statement that division of the State was not correct.
