Hyderabad: A day after Telugu Desam Party (TDP) made a major policy reversal and supported a separate Telangana, pressure mounted within the ruling Congress to announce a pro-statehood stand ahead of the elections next year.

Though several senior Congress leaders dubbed the TDP's U-turn on Telangana as a "political stunt" to gain electoral mileage in the backward region, a sense of unease was palpable in the ruling party camp over the development.

There is a growing fear among Telangana protagonists within the Congress that the party would be pushed into a disadvantageous position if all the pro-Telangana parties unite ahead of the elections.

"It's high time we take a favourable stand and initiate process for creation of Telangana state. Otherwise, the party will suffer in the elections," senior Congress legislator and Chairman of the Telangana Regional Development Board U Purushotham Reddy said.

He cautioned the party leadership that Telangana issue brooked no delay and the party should recognise the deep sentiments of the people in the region.

"We need to shed our over-confidence. Any further delay in announcing a pro-Telangana policy will cause irreparable damage to the party," Reddy warned.

Senior party leaders V Hanumantha Rao and K Kesava Rao, supporters of Telangana cause, said the Congress alone was capable of granting statehood for the region and the party was in favour of achieving the goal through "constitutional means".
Source : PTI