K Chandrasekhar Rao has long wishlist for Narendra Modi

Hyderabad: After a long wait, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. He is expected to seek clearance of files pending with the Centre. The PM had earlier cancelled his appointment with Mr Rao due to Uttar Pradesh polls.

According to sources, the Chief Minister would seek an early introduction of a Bill to increase the existing Assembly seats in Telangana as proposed in the AP Reorganisation Act.

As per Section 26 of the Act, there shall be an increase of Assembly seats from the existing 119 to 153 in Telangana and from existing 175 to 225 in AP. This, however, comes with a rider that any increase is subject to Article 170 of the Constitution, which has already put a cap on fresh delimitation of Asse-mbly segments till 2026.

The Chief Minister feels that instead of bringing an amendment to Article 170, it would be better to bring a simple amendment to Section 26 of the AP Reorganisation Act, so that it could be passed in Parliament by a simple majority.

Besides this, the Chief Minister would submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister requesting the Centre to release outstanding funds for various schemes in the state.

Sources said Mr Rao will also request Mr Modi to take steps for clearance of the Land Acquisition Bill that was passed by the Telangana Legislature modifying the 2013 Central Act. He will also submit a brief note on the issue. However, since it is going to be a one-on-one meeting, both the leaders are expected to exchange opinions on the overall political situation in the country.

Sources said Mr Rao will also assure the Prime Minister that the TRS would back the BJP’s candidates for both President and Vice-President posts, as it is the TRS’ policy is to support the Central government on all issues in the interest of the development of Telangana.

The TRS has been supporting all the Bills introduced by the NDA during the last three years. Mr Rao will also try to convince the Prime Minister that the TRS is not for confrontation with the Centre but at the same time the Centre also needs to be receptive towards Telangana in approving new schemes and releasing funds.