Post division, Telugus will end up losers, say MLCs

Telugu people both in Telangana and Seemandhra regions would be the losers if Andhra Pradesh was allowed to be divided to serve selfish political interests, said several members in the Legislative Council on Saturday.

Participating in the debate on the draft A.P. Reorganisation Bill, 2013, Seemandhra members opposed the Bill and said it would end Andhra Pradesh’s growth trajectory. A divided state would no longer be economically viable as it would adversely impact all sectors. The poor and common people would be deprived of welfare schemes they had been enjoying in the united State.

The fate of poor and common people, outsourced and contract employees and pensioners would be worse with new states struggling to rebuild their economy once again, they said.

B. Nageswara Rao (PDF), B. Indira (Cong.), M. Govind Reddy (TDP) and several others opposed the Bill terming it irrational, biased and totally ignorant of the genuine concerns of Seemandhra people.

Mr. Nageswara Rao said decentralisation of power but not division of the State would improve governance and fulfil the aspirations of the people.

The three new States of Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand created 13 years ago were still struggling to put their infrastructure and economy together. When Polavaram did not materialise or Pulichintala was still incomplete after decades in the united State, Polavaram was bound to end up as a pipe dream after division. AP’s division would lead to disintegration of more states and weaken the federal set up, he warned.

Lamenting over the prospect of losing Hyderabad as capital, Ms. Indira said: “We did not mind Hyderabad-centric development after abolition of Mulki rules. We believed it will make future of our children and grand children secure,” she said.

Mr. Govind Reddy said if division became inevitable, then a city like Hyderabad be developed with all infrastructure in Seemandhra and assured waters be provided to Rayalaseema in the next five years. Then alone amicable division would be possible.

Mr. Farooq Hussain, welcoming the Bill, praised Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy for introducing several welfare schemes. Those schemes should continue even after division for welfare of Dalits and minorities, he said.