Even as the Centre is preparing to refer the Telangana Bill to the assembly by the end of this month for its opinion, the penultimate stage for introducing it in Parliament, Rayalaseema leaders appear agitated over the future of their region.
Former Union minister and MP from Rajampet in Kadapa district A Sai Pratap said that in the din for creation of Telanganga state, no one was bothered about the injustice likely to be caused to Rayalaseema region which has been neglected for decades.
Sai Pratap wants the Centre to keep the state division process on hold for about 10 years and take up development of Rayalseema and Andhra regions. This way, it would be politically beneficial for the Congress since it would have better prospects in Andhra region, he said.
He wants a liberal package for Rayalaseema region and development of all the districts. “We are dependent on Krishna water and Srisailam should be transferred to Rayalaseema after merging a part of Mahabubnagar district with Kurnool,” he said. In case division becomes inevitable, focus should be on Rayalaseema development. Of all the regions, Rayalaseema deserves a liberal package. “Once Rayalaseema was known as a land of precious stones. But it is now known as a land of mere useless stones,” he said.
He said he did not understand why a proposal for Rayala Telangana was coming to the fore often. “All Rayalaseema leaders want the State to remain united. No one wants Rayalaseema to be split into two and one part going to Telangana and the other to Andhra states,” he said.
source: The New Indian Express
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