Call to plan for equitable development of state

It is time that we learn from the past and look at how to develop the region: CPI leader

Political leaders, industrialists, workers, and union leaders apart from intellectuals, participating in the roundtable, organised by the Vizag Journalist Forum, in the city on Wednesday.

In view of the fact that bifurcation of the state is inevitable it is time that all the stakeholders work out a plan of action for a more equitable development of the state, speakers felt at a roundtable here.

Speaking at a meeting organised on Wednesday by the Vizag Journalists Forum on the future course of action, most speakers felt that it was a lack of leadership from the region which led to the Congress high command acquiescing to the demands from one region — Telangana.

Rather than dwell on the past and indulge in acrimony, it is time that we learn from the past and look at how to develop the region without giving scope for complaints of neglect, CPI leader J.V.S.N. Murthy said. He took a dig at the Congress party for saying that it was favouring bifurcation as all other parties were also in favour of carving out a separate State of Telangana. The July 30 announcement was only the Congress party’s stand on the issue, he added.

The division of the State was not being taken up on the basis of any sound principles. The unequal development was a normal feature of the exploitative capitalism. The inequalities have got exacerbated post globalisation, CPI(M) leader Ch. Narsing Rao said. The Congress, by accepting division of the State, was opening up a Pandora’s Box and this will bound to encourage similar demands from groups across the country, he added.

It is time we start planning for the future of the region rather than dwell on the past, BJP leader Nagender said. It is time we shed the policies of centralised development which have led to growth of Hyderabad city at the cost of the rest of the State, he said and called for decentralised development. He urged the stakeholders not to think of protests but instead work on how to develop the State.

‘For a better deal’

The agitation should continue if only to give leverage while bargaining for a better deal from the Centre, former Minister and TDP leader Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy said. The protests in Telangana were inclusive and even common persons joined it unlike here, Dalit leader K. Vengal Rao said.

A number of other leaders and intellectuals, including former Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University K. V. Ramana, former bureaucrat C. S. Rao, chairman of CII Vizag Chapter G. Sambasiva Rao, senior journalists B. Prabhakara Sarma, and S. S. Shiva Shankar attended the programme chaired by VJF president Gantla Srinubabu and secretary S. Durga Rao.