Thursday, July 7 2005 10:28 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Alleging the demand for a Telangana state was motivated by individual political ambitions of a few, an apparent reference to Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leadership, Andhra Pradesh's main opposition Telugu Desam party (TDP) yesterday (July 6, 2005) strongly opposed accepting the demand saying it might lead to call for secession.

A TDP delegation, led by its parliamentary party leader K Yerrannaidu, today (July 7, 2005) met Defence minister Pranab Mukherjee, who heads the crucial UPA (United Progressive Alliance) sub-committee formed by the ruling alliance leader Sonia Gandhi to look into the Telangana issue.

"The demand for a separate State is motivated by political opportunism seeking to rouse emotions on sensitive issues," the party said.

Explaining the "historical perspective," the party said "Telugu-speaking people in Andhra Pradesh have been under one rule for several centuries and the present united state is the result of various struggles and sacrifices of several people and senior leaders".

"During the reign of Kakatiyas, (1081-1323) and the Rayala Dynasty of the middle ages also, the Telugu speaking area largely remained under one rule," it said.

Talking to reporters, Naidu quoted a speech made by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Parliament in 1972 opposing division of the state. He praised her for keeping the state together when demands for separate state arose.

"Merely because an area is comparatively backward is not reason enough for taking drastic or irreversible decisions. Where will this process end? Will each district want to be separate?...I stand firmly for an integrated state," he quoted Gandhi as saying in the speech.