Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured a delegation of A.P. Non-Gazetted Officers’ Association and other bodies that no injustice will be done to any region or section due to bifurcation of the State.
A delegation of APNGOs, Road Transport Corporation, Electricity employees associations, and Student organisations led by APNGOs Association president P. Ashok Babu met the Prime Minister at his office in New Delhi on Tuesday with a demand to keep the State united.
Mr. Babu represented to Dr. Singh that the State would encounter several problems in sharing of resources and all sections of people, including employees in Seemandhra, would lose out opportunities in all fields. The division would do no good to any region, they said.
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The Prime Minister, however, said the Congress Working Committee had already taken a decision on State bifurcation, but he advised the delegation to bring all their concerns to the notice of the committee constituted for the purpose.
The committee, in turn, would apprise the government before it finalised the draft Bill, according to Mr. Babu.
“Though the Prime Minister did not give any assurance on our demand to keep the State united, we see a ray of hope. The government is inclined to rethink on the political decision taken by the Congress party,” said Mr. Babu.
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The employees’ representatives who will remain in the national capital on Wednesday too, have not yet decided whether or not to meet Antony committeewhich would mainly look into demands post bifurcation.
The APNGOs and other service associations who are on indefinite strike since August 12 met leaders of various political parties to garner support for united State. AIADMK, Trinamool Congress leaders categorically said they were against division, while CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said division was not warranted as it was not a solution.
Janata Dal (U) leader Sharad Yadav said he would take the concerns of Seemandhra to government’s notice.
CPI leader Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy said they were for Telangana creation, but the process of State division should be kept on hold till all the related issues were addressed.
BJP for consensus
BJP leader Arun Jaitley said smaller States was their party policy, but any division should be on the basis of consensus among the people concerned.