Telangana to move Supreme Court

Hyderabad: Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Dr K. Kesava Rao, TRS secretary-general, said, “The ordinance pertaining to the merger of seven mandals with AP has been cleared. Minutes of Cabinet meeting pertaining to the ordinance, merging seven mandals in Khammam, has been sent to the Union home ministry. From there it will go to the President of India for approval.”

Meanwhile, Mr Rao, who has also decided to move the SC, alleged that the Centre succumbed to the pressures of Andhra leaders and issued the ordinance merging seven mandals in Khammam with AP despite objections from the TRS, which has been demanding a change in the Polavaram design and the issue to be dealt with by the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments.

“We strongly condemn the Centre betraying Telangana. To protest against the undemocratic act, we call for a Telangana bandh. I request all commercial establishments and the people to participate in the bandh,” he said. The TRS chief also urged President Mukherjee not to approve  the ordinance.

Meanwhile in New Delhi, TRS politburo member and MP, Mr B. Vinod Kumar, met Union Home Ministry officials and opposed the merger of the seven mandals of Khammam with AP. The Polavaram Irrigation Project has been declared a national project under the AP Reorganisation Act and the Centre will develop it.

It has decided to merge seven mandals of Kunavaram, V.R. Puram, Chintoor, Bhadrachallam, Kucknoor, Velerupadu and Burgampadu, comprising 205 villages in Khammam district with AP including the Sileru Hydro project. Earlier in the day, TRS politburo member T. Harish Rao accused AP CM-designate Chandrababu Naidu, and Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, of engineering the ordinance.

“The decision has hurt Telangana people. We will fight it out on all fronts. Why are Telangana TD leaders and BJP leaders silent? If T-TD leaders have any shame they should question Naidu at the Mahanadu. Mr Naidu speaks about morals, but indulges in conspiracies,” said Mr Harish Rao.