Although some Andhra leaders stood up to defend Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s statement and statistics, most pro-Telangana leaders — including all Ministers from the region and Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K Chandrasekhar Rao — have roundly criticised him.
In a stinging comment, Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha said the “commander (Chief Minister) should not act as a conspirator”. Several other Ministers including K Jana Reddy and J Geeta Reddy have also charged the Chief Minister with stoking trouble and revolt in the Seemandhra region.
Chandrashekhar Rao took on Kiran Reddy over various issues and bunked his claims. While the CM said that sharing of Godavari and Krishna waters among the three regions will be difficult, KCR reminded him that already three States of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra were sharing them. While the CM claimed that there were only 18,856 employees of Andhra and Rayalaseema working in Telangana, KCR insisted that more than 1,00,000 jobs of Telangana were taken away by Andhra’s people and during NTR’s time itself 58,956 such employees were identified for repatriation.
The Chief Minister claimed that 40,000 to 50,000 advocates from Andhra were practising in the High Court in Hyderabad, KCR said the real numbers were 10 times less.
Kiran Reddy’s defiant tone has left other Congress leaders puzzled regarding his motive. They were surprised that after keeping mum for 10 days after the decision was announced, why he had become active. Some say this was to keep his political career alive in Rayalaseema after the division and others say that speculation about impending imposition of President’s Rule in the State might have spurred him to become defiant.
Soon after the CM’s declaration, four Congress legislators — including former Minister Dharmana Prasad Rao —announced their resignations. Several other Ministers from the two regions, who were hitherto keeping a low profile, also joined the agitation.
Meanwhile, another Union Minister Kavuri Sambasiva Rao, who was blowing hot and cold said that there was no change in his stand that the State should remain united. He told the mediapersons in Hyderabad on Saturday that AP in its present form was more comprehensive and strong with 42 MPs. “It should stay that way,” he said.
On the other hand, the Congress leaders from Telangana, Rajya Sabha member P Govardhan Reddy and legislative Council member Yadav Reddy alleged that Seemandhra leaders were creating unnecessary panic among the people and trying to create divisions among them for their own sake. “They should stop claims that Hyderabad city was developed because of them,” Govardhan Reddy said.