Sounds strange but true that the proposal of ‘Rayala-Telangana’ with ten districts of Telangana and two of Rayalaseema is the brain child of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) president K. Chandrasekhar Rao, but has boomeranged on him.
Mr. Rao is reportedly unhappy that developments on statehood issue are on a fast track in New Delhi without his involvement. In the backdrop of reports about Rayala-Telangana gathering thick clouds, Mr. Rao on Sunday went into a huddle with Telangana joint action committee chairman M. Kodandaram and other leaders at the former’s residence. The meeting discussed an agitation over the proposal starting with a dharna at Indira Park here on August 1.
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Sources said Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao had himself mooted ‘Rayala-Telangana’ two years ago but backed out now as the Congress high command was going ahead with the proposal without contacting him. He obviously did not want the Congress to take credit for the formation of the State.
Mr. Rao had, at several meetings within the party and JAC, proposed Rayala-Telangana as it would eliminate the problem of water sharing between the two regions.
The reservoirs of Tungabhadra and Srisailam, forest of Nallamala and the natural resources of Anantapur would be in one region. He was also said to have written a letter and held consultations with the Central leadership when he camped in New Delhi in January. But, he demanded several concessions like Chief Ministership, Ministerial posts at the Centre and State and 60 MLA posts.
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Mr. Kodandaram told The Hindu that the meeting with the TRS president was held to mount pressure on the Centre to concede separate Telangana with 10 districts.
Earlier, Mr. Rao convened a press conference at 3 p.m. and abruptly cancelled it triggering a wild speculation. It was rumoured that Mr. Rao cancelled the programme because a scheduled press conference of Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad at New Delhi was also called off. Otherwise, he wanted to react on it. Instead, the party spokesman G. Jagdishwar Reddy addressed the meeting warning the Congress against any move to create Rayala-Telangana. He said it had come to the TRS notice that the Ministers of Kurnool and Anantapur were persuaded to accept the proposal.