UPA favours creation of Telangana

NEW DELHI: The creation of a separate state of Telangana today received the stamp of approval of the ruling United Progressive Alliance ( UPA) which unanimously endorsed the move.

"The UPA unanimously decided in favour of Telangana," RLD leader and Union minister Ajit Singh told reporters after a meeting of the constituents of the ruling coalition at the residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar said there was a detailed discussion on the issue, and the UPA constituents were "absolutely unanimous" in endorsing the creation of Telangana.

He said if the Congress and BJP come together, there will be no problem in passing the Telangana statehood bill in Parliament.

Besides Singh and Pawar, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy attended the meet chaired by Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Union minister and former AICC in charge of Andhra Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad, present AICC in charge of Andhra Pradesh Digvijay Singh and political secretary to the Congress president Ahmed Patel were also present in the meeting which lasted nearly one hour.