BJP in AP Chooses T-plank For 2014 Polls

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Andhra Pradesh finally chose the Telangana poll plank for the General Elections due in 2014. Perhaps the only 'plank' that is left with BJP is the contentious separate Telangana issue, which the party wants to keep burning till 2014. As part of its maneuvers, the AP unit of BJP appealed people to make success the 22-day long yatra being launched by the party in support of separate statehood for Telangana, from Thursday. BJP National president Nitin Gadkari would launch the "Telangana Poru Yatra" at Maktal in Mahabubnagar district on 19-01-2012.

The yatra would be led by State Party President G Kishan Reddy which would pass through 171 mandals, 986 villages, 36 municipalities in 88 assembly constituencies and will cover a distance of about 3,500 km in nine districts of Telangana. Speaking to reporters, party's senior leader and former Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya said that the Congress has been deceiving people of Telangana region by not fulfilling its promise of carving out a separate state for the region. He also released an audio cassette of the songs for the yatra. Party MLA E Lakshminarayana, T Rajeswara Rao, BJP Telanagana struggle committee chairman and general secretary N Ramachander Rao were also present at the press meet.