No real progress made: YSRCP on Telugu CMs meet on resolving pending issues

Tadepalli: Reacting to the discussions between the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over pending disputes and issues related to the AP State Reorganisation Act, the YSRCP said the decision to form a high-level committee to look into the issues is a step backward in addressing the issues. 

In a press release, the former minister Perni Nani and former MLA Gadikota Srikanth Reddy said the Telugu states have only delayed the process instead of resolving the pending issues. Here’s the statement of YSRCP on high-level discussions between the CMs Revanth Reddy and Chandrababu Naidu held at Praja Bhavan, Begumpet, Hyderabad on Saturday evening. 

1. The decision to form a committee of officials in the meeting of the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is seen as a step backward in addressing the issues arising from the state division. We believe this is a time-consuming approach.

2. What are the disputes between the two states? What are the unresolved issues? What assets need to be distributed? Why not move forward? What are the cases pending in the courts? Both state governments are aware of these matters. We believe that the meeting of the Chief Ministers suggests that the new committee to identify unresolved issues will only lead to further delays in resolving these matters.

3. The central government had previously constituted the Sheila Bedi Committee, led by a senior officer, to implement the provisions of the Partition Act passed by Parliament. The Sheila Bedi Committee made several recommendations regarding property disputes in the combined state. Over the past decade, these recommendations have been discussed in several stages. However, some recommendations were not accepted and the recommendations which were accepted were not implemented by the Telangana government. We believe that forming a new committee will set the discussions back to the starting point.

4. Mr. Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, the then Chief Minister, emphasised to the Union Home Minister at the meeting of the Southern States' Chief Ministers in Tirupati the importance of focusing on unresolved issues, as Andhra Pradesh has seen no progress in a decade. He assured that the issues would be resolved within the stipulated time frame with special attention.

5. Following this assurance, discussions on divided issues by the chief secretaries and officials of both states gained momentum under the auspices of the Union Home Ministry. We believe that forming a new committee without focusing on advancing these discussions will only result in further delays.

6. Furthermore, this committee is being formed independently, without the involvement  of the central government.  Forming a committee without the central government's participation raises many questions, given that Parliament enacted the Bifurcation Act and it is the central government that must implement it.

7. Additionally, the previous YSRCP government put significant pressure on the central government regarding the electricity dues of approximately Rs. 7,000 crores owed to the state. Instructions were issued for payment of these dues, but the case later reached the court. It appears that today's meeting did not focus enough on resolving this issue.

8. Andhra Pradesh is facing severe injustice, especially concerning the management of water projects. Telangana is releasing water from the left canal of Srisailam for electricity generation at will, even as the Rayalaseema region struggles. It is unjust that the meeting concluded without addressing this issue and attempting an immediate resolution.

9. Moreover, during the YSRCP government's tenure, the AP government took over the part of Nagarjuna Sagar Kudikalva and the spillway in AP territory. Despite assurances from the Union Home Department that this issue would be resolved, restraint has been observed. In the meeting of the Chief Ministers, there are no records of Chandrababu Garu's strong focus on this issue, raising questions about the state government's sincerity in resolving divided problems.

10. Additionally, various media houses reported that Telangana demanded a share in AP ports and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam properties during the Chief Ministers' meeting. There were also reports that AP was willing to merge some villages in seven mandals. This has caused deep concern among people across the state. The absence of any announcement from the AP government, including statements from ministers or officials, is increasing public suspicion.

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