Congress sliced AP for political gains: PM Modi

New Delhi: The 'unscientific and hasty' way in which the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated for political gains by the Congress leadership came in for a scathing attack from Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Tuesday.

This is a first such attack by Modi on the Congress on behalf of the Telugus and it came in the overall context of a broader anti-Congress tirade for what he termed the divisive policies of the grand-old party.

Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Modi listed out the incidents of "misrule" of the Congress party from the time first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru to Manmohan Singh.

He said the 'family first' outlook of Congress for petty political gains had ruined the country. Congress had come to power in 2004 and 2009 because of AP and yet it acted against the interests of the Telugus resulting in losing the trust of the people in both the States, Modi said. He said AP bifurcation was one such example wherein the Telugus were divided into two States due to the perceived political benefits by the Congress leadership.

Stating that BJP was not against new states but the process adopted for bifurcation of the State was improper, he said while asserting that he was not against Telangana. If both sides were to be involved in greater discussion and debate the Reorganization would have been a smoother affair and without hiccups, he said.

The Congress party should be held responsible for the acrimony, between the two Telugu States now, he added. The day the bifurcation Bill was passed, democratic norms were given a go-by. "Mikes were cut and pepper spray was used on members, live telecast was cut. There was no discussion and only haste prevailed in every move," he said.

Despite such a political move, Telangana people did not trust in the Congress and Andhra dumped them. If problems persisted and both the Telugu States were suffering injustices and travails today it was all because of the Congress party's self-seeking and ego-centric policies, he added.