The politics of naming of places and projects continues unabated between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. After universities, parks, airport and buildings it is the turn of the trains to become the bone of contention.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who wants every important place to be named after the local heros and erase the mark of Andhra, has demanded renaming of Andhra Pradesh Express as ‘Telangana Express’.
The express train links Hyderabad to New Delhi and was named as AP Express from its inception.
In a letter addressed to the Railway Ministry, KCR said that continuing the name of AP Express even after bifurcation was incomprehensible. “The express was named as AP Express when Hyderabad was capital of Andhra Pradesh. But after formation of Telangana, the name is incomprehensible,” he wrote. He also suggested name of ‘Hyderabad Sirpur Telangana Express’ to be changed to Komram Bheem Express after the renowened tribal freedom fighter.
Soon after coming to power in Telangana, KCR had changed the name of Prof NG Ranga Agriculture University to Prof Jayashankar Agricultural University after the ideologue of Telangana evoking protest from Andhra leaders.
His proposal to change the name of Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park in Hyderabad to ‘Asif Jahi Park’ has also evoked negative reaction from some quarters including a few Congress leaders. The park, which was earlier part of Cherian Palace of Nizam family, was named after the former Chief Minister Kasu Brahmanand Reddy, who hails from Andhra.
