The Vijayawada Citizens' Forum, a non-political body formed for the development of the city by a citizens' initiative, has sent a brief memorandum to the Justice Srikrishna Committee asking for an audience when it comes to the city.
Forum convener M.C. Das and other members, including noted cardiologist P. Ramesh Babu, veteran journalist Turlapaty Kutumba Rao, and columnist Andvalli Satyanarayana, addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, said that they sent the memorandum highlighting 10 points to make a case against bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
Mr. Das said that the first point highlighted was that the oft-repeated “Telangana sentiment” was actually a creation of “politicians and vested interests.” The people of Telangana had been “misinformed, misguided and misled” by these leaders, who had told them that they would gets jobs and houses “vacated by the people of Circar and Rayalaseema areas.”
The memorandum also highlighted the contribution of the people from all areas for the development of the State and also the contribution of the people from “far-off places” for the growth and development of Hyderabad as State Capital.
Making an appeal to the Srikrishna committee, the memorandum stated that “truncation of Telangana region from Andhra Pradesh is not justified historically, economically, geographically, culturally and constitutionally. The kith and kin of 80 million people of Andhra Pradesh have the right to enjoy the fruits of developed ‘Swarnandhra Pradesh'.
Trying to break this integrated State could lead to several fragments not only of Andhra Pradesh but also of the sovereign India.”
Census figures
The memorandum also had census figures and statistics culled out from State government websites to give the Srikrishna Committee an overall view of the situation in the State.
Dr. Ramesh Babu said that it was not right for the people of Andhra and Rayalaseema regions to maintain a dignified silence.
The strife in the State had brought to limelight the fact that there were areas that were backward.
The vested interests of the leaders who were spearheading the agitation in Telangana were very obvious, because they were trying to project their family members, which was not justified in such mass movements.
Mr. Satyanarayana said he was an active participant of the Jai Andhra movement of the 70s, and he believed that gross injustice had been done to Andhra area. But once Hyderabad was made the capital, nobody objected to it because the State was benefiting.
