UPA responsible for semi-constitutional crisis in Andhra: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday accused the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government of triggering a 'semi-constitutional crisis' in Andhra Pradesh by failing to resolve the simmering row for the creation of a separate state of Telangana.

"The entire responsibility for having brought Andhra Pradesh, in the name of the Telangana problem, to a near constitutional crisis goes to the Congress Party. The party is in power in Andhra Pradesh, it is leading the UPA coalition in Delhi, and the state of Andhra Pradesh, since September 2009 has steadily but definitely moved from one crisis to another," said BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman. "Ten districts are remaining without any kind of administration. The economy of Andhra Pradesh is in shatters," she added.

The Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) began its three-day "rail blockade" in the region on Saturday to press for the demand of creating a separate state. The Andhra Pradesh Government has, however, toughened its stand on the second day of the agitation and imposed prohibitory orders till October 26 in Hyderabad. Schools have also been warned if they don't reopen tomorrow, they will be derecognised

Pro-Telangana activists have stepped up their efforts for the four-decade-old demand of a separate state, which is sought to be carved out of the economically less developed parts of Andhra Pradesh. The struggle gathered momentum last year after the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government had accepted their demand in principle.

Several protests and shutdowns had brought Andhra Pradesh to a near halt in 2009 and 2010, as pro-Telangana activists persisted with their demand. Commenting on the arrest of former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, Sitharaman maintained that the party would abide by the judicial process in the case.

She, however, stressed that the BJP would provide legal assistance to Yeddyurappa. "All legal efforts, which will be taken for Mr. Yeddyurappa to prove his case, will be taken. That is where it is. The legal process, obviously, it has its own limitations. The process has to be respected, and that is what the party will do," she added.

Sitharaman further clarified the BJP's stand on the issue of safety in nuclear plants, which came to the forefront after the Fukushima disaster in Japan earlier this year. Her comments come in the wake of the highly charged protests that have been held by concerned locals in the Kudankulam town of Tamil Nadu since the past several months against the set up of a nuclear power plant in the area.

Urging the government to exercise caution in the use of nuclear energy, Sithraman highlighted the need to strengthen the existing security standards at nuclear plants across India to prevent a possible recurrence of the Fukushima disaster. "Yes, India desperately needs more power, bulk produced power, and desperately needs it for the development. But, in matters such as nuclear energy, especially post Fukushima, we have to be clear, we have to pause, think if our safety and security standards are adequate to meet with any emergency situation and be sure that the people who live in the neighbourhood of these projects are kept adequately informed and taken along," she said.

The project, which is being set up as a joint collaboration between India and Russia, envisages to build two 1,000 MW type reactors by the end of December 2011. However, in the wake of the Fukushima incident in Japan, several nuclear projects across India such as one at Jaitapur in Maharashtra have run into rough weather as protesting locals and activists argue that such plants could adversely affect the environment. There are 20 nuclear reactors in operation in six power plants, generating over 4,000 megawatts of electricity while five other plants are under construction.