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Iamim Side Hero Username: Iamim Post Number: 3027 Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 119.235.54.170 Rating: N/A |
End to T row? Form Rayala-Telangana! Mir Ayoob Ali Khan , TNN, 30 January 2010, 01:12am IST HYDERABAD: Rayala-Telangana? This is the latest in the endless list of âsolutionsâ to break the T-impasse. And it stands for a ânew stateâ formed by joining Rayalaseema and Telangana! The idea has been floated by a few from Rayalaseema fishing in troubled waters, but has found little support from âT leadersâ. J C Diwakar Reddy, ex-minister and an influential Rayalaseema neta, is the prime mover behind the âmergerâ. âThe people of Rayalaseema would prefer to go with Telangana rather than Andhra if the state is divided. This I can say for sure,â Diwakar Reddy told TOI. âI am constantly getting feedback from people in Rayalaseema. Most MPs and MLAs from the region are agreeable to this,â he added. Diwakar Reddy had till now been seen as someone standing for united AP. âThis shows a considerable softening of views and possibly a second-best option if AP has to be divided,â a political observer said. Another Rayalaseema veteran, ex-home minister and TDP MP M V Mysoora Reddy also aired similar views.âPeople I have spoken are in favour of merging Rayalaseema with Telangana.â He added: âThe idea is still nascent. Letâs see how it progresses. But we cannot turn away from this new reality.â Incidentally, these two leaders along with the late CM Y S Rajasekhara Reddy had launched a movement for a separate Rayalaseema state in the 1980s. They had undertaken a padayatra to highlight the regionâs backwardness and sought a larger share of Krishna water. When asked about his shifting stance, Diwakar said: âThings are not the same. We donât know the Congress high commandâs final stand on T. In a situation like this, the people of Rayalaseema have been forced to think about the future.â And what if Rayala-Telangana doesnât work out? Diwakar has a remedy: A separate Rayalaseema! âRayalaseema going with Andhra is not feasible,â he explained. Diwakar claimed that Rayalaseema and Telangana share a common history. Both regions were part of the Nizam state. The Nizams ceded Kurnool, Anantapur, Kadapa and Chittoor along with Bellary (now in Karnataka) to the British. However, the people of the two regions remained connected culturally, he said. âFor the past 60 years, they have been tied down by backwardness,â Diwakar said. |