Three political parties — BJP, CPI and MIM — on Tuesday vehemently opposed to make Hyderabad the joint Capital of the bifurcated State for a prolonged period while another major party from the region, TDP amongst others, has decided to completely boycott the all-party meeting convened by the Group of Ministers on Telangana on Wednesday.
The Group of Ministers on Telangana comprising Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Defence Minister AK Antony, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and others invited eight political parties from Andhra Pradesh for individual meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday to present their views on the bifurcation issue. The Union Cabinet had earlier approved creation of a separate Telangana State out of Andhra Pradesh.
“We do not believe in joint and common Capital. Hyderabad Mandal comprising Assembly and Secretariat should be made the interim working capital for a reasonable time,” AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, who is MP from Hyderabad, said.
Apparently, the BJP however said that the party has agreed to Hyderabad being the capital but only for a brief period. Party’s state unit chief G Kishan Reddy said that his party was committed to creation of Telangana and demanded that the Telangana bill be introduced during the upcoming winter session of Parliament. “The cyber city may be allowed to function as an interim Capital for a reasonable time,” Reddy said.
Echoing similar views, Andhra Pradesh CPI secretary Narayana said separate capital must be created for Seemandhra within 10 years. “They can choose between Vijayawada and Ongole for developing as capital cities,” he suggested.
Earlier in the day TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu convened a meeting with party leaders from Seemandhra and Telangana regions at his Hyderabad residence and decided to write another letter on the party’s stand to the Prime Minister. “Our party has decided not to attend the meeting with the GoM. Our main demand is that the GoM engage all stakeholders, including the Joint Action Committees, from different regions of the state in talks on the issue and address all concerns,” TDP senior leader Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu said.