Rayala-Telangana, which was never given more credence than a small footnote in the entire debate over bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, has suddenly come to the centre stage as the idea of forming a hybrid State seems to have caught the imagination of some in the top echelons of the Congress party at the Centre.
This sudden change in the Congress thinking has come as surprise because of neither the Congress Working Committee resolution nor the Union Cabinet decision in July last had any mention of Rayala Telangana.
They had promised Telangana State comprising of 10 districts and Hyderabad as its capital. Then what forced the Congress to change its thinking. Was it refusal of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti to merge itself with the Congress and go it alone in the electionsIJ Or the Congress fears that the TRS will in fact join hands with the BJP leaving it in the lurch.
While talk of Rayala Telangana has understandably raised the hackles of all the supporters of Telangana State, various motives were being attributed to the Congress’ tilt towards the weird idea of dividing one geographic region into two while forming two States.
While Telangana supporters wanted their original State comprising of 10 districts, the Centre wants to make it Rayala Telangana by adding two districts of Rayala Telangana-Kurnool and Anantapur.