We will go our way, says Kiran Kumar Reddy

Rajahmundry: Fuming at the Centre for apparently going ahead to bifurcate the state, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on Friday said: “If the Centre goes ahead with its decision, we will take our own decision on the issue.”

Addressing a Rachchabanda — mass contact programme — here on Saturday, Reddy said, “We are ready to sacrifice anything to keep the state united. I am going to meet the GoM on November 18, in New Delhi, and I will make all efforts to keep the state united.”

Explaining the series of problems that he foresaw in the event of bifurcation, the Chief Minister said that a large number of students arrived at Hyderabad either to pursue higher education or to find employment and asked what would be their fate if the state was divided. He said that except for the CPM and the MIM, all political parties have accepted bifurcation of the state. He faulted the TD for giving a letter favouring bifurcation of the state in 2008.

He was also critical of the YSR Congress for suggesting that the Centre carve out a separate state under Article 3 of the Indian Constitution as if the Centre was not aware of the statute provisions.

The CM listed out his reasons why the state should not be divided, ranging from generation of revenue to sharing of water, power and implementation of several welfare schemes to benefit all sections of the people, in all the three regions in the state, on equal footing.

He said, “When I assumed charge, the state’s annual revenue was just Rs 45,000 crore. At present, it has gone up to Rs 79,000 crore. With the enhanced revenues, we are able to implement a series of welfare schemes including sanction of interest-free loans to the farmers up to Rs 1 lakh each and also to the self-help women under Indira Kranthi Padham. The Bangaru Thalli scheme is benefiting nearly 93,000 girls in which already 52,000 girls derived a part of financial benefit so far in the state.”

“These revenues helped me to launch the SC and ST Sub Plan Act to ensure funds meant for these communities, to be spent only for them. I take pride in saying that neither the Centre nor any state in the country dared to implement such a scheme so far.”

“There is every need to optimise the usage of water from Godavari and Krishna rivers and accordingly, several irrigation projects, including Polavaram, Pulichinthala, Dummugudem, Pranahitha-Chevella are being taken up. They require nearly Rs 1 lakh crores for the execution and so far, Rs 70,000 crores has been spent on them,” he said.

“We have taken up Jalayagnam project and we require a huge amount of money to execute the project and bring in lakhs of hectares of land under cultivation, to benefit the farmers. It would have been very difficult to execute Nagarjunasagar, Srisailam and Pulichinthala projects if Andhra Pradesh was not formed in 1956.”

He also reiterated his contention that the number of government employees in the two states would go up, increasing the finanacial burden, and that Telangana would suffer power and water shortage.

Next: Rahul man angers CM camp

Rahul man angers CM camp

S.N.C.N. Acharyulu | DC

Hyderabad: Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy’s camp is angry at former state go-vernment’s top bureaucrat, K Raju, who belongs to AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s coterie.
The Chief Minister’s camp alleged that the former IAS officer, Raju, is encouraging one section of ministers and MLAs against the Chief Minister, to oppose his stand on state bifurcation.  Raju, who is presently AICC SC cell chairman, has worked in the state for several years and also has close relations with many Congre-ss leaders.

The Chief Minister is opposing the state division from day one after CWC took the decision on state bifurcation. Many Seemandhra ministers sailed with the Chief Minister and supported his stand on the division. But later on, one by one, some ministers left the Chief Minister’s camp.

Medical education minister Kondru Murali, in the beginning, played a key role in the Chief Minister’s camp. He was one of the close associates of the Chief Minister. Murali was given major portfolios even though he was a first time minister. But recently, Murali distanced himself from the Chief Minister’s camp.

Tribal welfare minister P. Balaraju was a strong supporter of the Chief Minister in the past. He also said to he left the Chief Minister’s camp and did not participate in the Chief Minister’s visit to his home district Visakhapatnam thrice.

Balaraju’s allegation is that the Chief Minister is ignoring him and giving importance to another minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao, who belongs to the same district.

Another minister Dokka Manikyavaraprasad Rao is also opposing the Chief Minister’s attitude on state division. The three ministers are opposing the state division, but at the same time they are telling that they will abide by the High Command’s decision on state division.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister’s camp criticised Raju that he is encouraging the SC and ST ministers and MLAs against the Chief Minister and pressuring them to support the state division. They said that Raju, in his recent visit to Hyderabad, met several ministers and MLAs and asked them to support the state division.

Mr Raju reportedly told them that the SCs and STs will get more benefit in the divided state only and not in the unified state.

When contacted, Raju denied that he is encouraging the ministers and MLAs in favour of state bifurcation.

Speaking to this newspaper, Raju  said that when he came to Hyderabad two months back, some Congress leaders, including ministers met him and they did not discussed about the state division.

Raju also said he did not come to Andhra Pradesh state, in the past last two months, and he was busy touring the northern states.

When contacted, Balaraju said that Raju never asked him or others to support the High Command’s decision on state division.

“We are in Congress party, and we have to abide by the party’s decision on any issue, somebody needs to tell us about this,” Balaraju said.

He said that he had met Raju when he was in Hyderabad, two months back, and discussed the welfare of the SCs and STs in the state. He said that they did not discuss about the state division.