Andhra Pradesh bifurcation not in interest of people: Kiran Kumar Reddy

Hyderabad: Continuing his campaign against the proposed bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on Sunday asserted that dividing the state is not in the interest of people.

"Andhra Pradesh has achieved substantial progress in various spheres as it has been a big and united state," he said at the 'Rachabanda' (village junction) mass-contact programme held in his native Chittoor and Anantapur districts.

The negative fallout of division would be debated with facts and figures when it comes for debate in the Legislative Assembly or Parliament, he added. "I failed to understand why the decision to divide Andhra Pradesh was taken as it is the first state to be formed on linguistic basis," he said.

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The division is not in the interest of Telangana region as well as it would be an upper riparian state and lose the opportunity to use 96 TMC of surplus water for cultivating 11 lakh acres, he said.

The chief minister wondered whether major irrigation projects like Nagarjuna Sagar, Srisailam and Pulichintala could have been built had the state remained small since 1956.

Observing that he and other Congress leaders from Seemandhra have been making efforts to keep the state united, he said other parties should also join them in the endeavour.

Maintaining that TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu gave a letter in support of division, though he was aware of the benefits of unity, Reddy asked the Opposition party leaders to mount pressure on their leader to work for unity of the state.

YSRCP had earlier told the Centre that it can divide the state as per Article 3 of the Constitution, but is seeking united Andhra Pradesh now, he charged. The chief minister, who has been opposing division ever since the decision was announced, had urged the Centre to reconsider its stance and also said he would not hanker for his post over the issue.