Jaganmohan Reddy meets Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik on Telangana issue

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik extended support to YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy in the fight against carving out Telangana from Andhra Pradesh and said the division of a state should be done through consensus and not for narrow political interests.

"Division of a state is a sensitive, political, social and emotional issue. In case of Andhra Pradesh, people of the state should have been consulted and a consensus developed before any decision," Patnaik told reporters after Reddy met him here to seek his support on the issue.

Maintaining that division of a state "should not be done for narrow political and electoral interests", he said a 'sensitive political dialogue' is missing on the issue of Telangana.

Reddy's discussion with Patnaik came four days after he met Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and urged the party to oppose the Telangana Bill in Parliament and demand it be withdrawn.

Seeking united efforts to prevent bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, Reddy said "If it is not stopped it could happen to any state tomorrow. It will kill democracy. Let Andhra Pradesh not be a precedent for the divisive tactics of the party in power at the Centre."

Reddy said he sought the BJD president's support for amendment of Article 3 of the Constitution (on formation of new states and alteration of areas, boundaries or names of existing states).

Full consent of the concerned state assembly and support of two third majority in Parliament is mandatory to divide or form a new state, he added.

To a query, Patnaik said no discussion was held on the third front during the meeting in which only the Telangana issue figured.