After the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) walked out of the National Integration Council (NIC) meeting on the Telangana issue, party chief Chandrababu Naidu on Monday criticized the apathy of the Centre towards the agitation of the 'burning' state of Andhra Pradesh.
"One state is burning, virtually, because of your political gain you have done so many things in that state. More than two years Telangana, now Seemandhra, so far no action has been taken, you are not calling anybody, you (Central government) are not discussing it with anybody," Naidu said.
"What is going on at the Centre? That is what I asked in there, but in the middle they stopped me and in protest I walked out. This is very unfortunate, I am very clear," he added.
Meanwhile, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari earlier today assured that the UPA-led Central government was looking into the Telangana issue very seriously.
"Today's meeting is focused on national integration, we should stick to the agenda of the meeting. In so far as Telangana is concerned, on Friday also after the cabinet meeting we had said that we continue to remain engaged with the issue. Whatever decisions have been taken, those decisions would follow their own natural course. But in so far as the timing is concerned and as to how it has to be calibrated that is something which falls to the domain of the Ministry of Home Affairs," Tewari said.
The NIC meeting, which was chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, was held in the national capital on Monday.
Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had earlier said that the process for the formation of the new state of Telangana would take about five to six months as per constitutional norms.
"The Congress Working Committee (CWC) has passed a resolution and further procedure will be done according to the Constitution of India. Telangana will be formed by following all the procedures and it would take five to six months," he said.
He also added that Telangana was being formed because it was the oldest issue and the people of that region have been agitating and demanding the formation of a separate state since 1956.
