Andhra Pradesh minister suggests talks to resolve issues with Telangana govt

Hyderabad: With contentious issues cropping up between the two successor states of undivided Andhra Pradesh, the Andhra Pradesh government today proposed to have a dialogue with Telangana for amicable resolution of all disputes.

"Instead of acting unilaterally, let's sit and reach a mutual agreement. The representatives of both the governments should sit and discuss. If we fail (in resolving issues amicably), then Centre is there. Finally, courts are there," Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Y Ramakrishnudu told reporters here.

He pointed out that it is Telugu-speaking people living in both the states who had been united till a few months ago.

Replying to a query, he said the Andhra Pradesh government would not hesitate to send a formal communication to the Telangana government regarding its proposal.

The proposal by the AP government came following differences between the two states on different issues including students tuition fees reimbursement, admissions to engineering and other professional colleges and sharing of electricity.

The Finance Minister said the institutions in undivided AP have been put in different schedules of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act for the purpose of their allocation and service and some other institutions have not been included in either schedule.

Referring to some Telangana employees reportedly preventing a senior bureaucrat from attending the meeting of an institute in Hyderabad today, Ramakrishnudu said it is better if the two governments tried to resolve such issues through dialogue.

The Finance Minister alleged that the Telangana government or its Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is taking exception to the implementation of different provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act now though he or the TRS never raised objections when the Act was passed.