Separate Telangana state not a loss to AP: Chiranjeevi

Union Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi said in Rajahmundry on Thursday that Andhra Pradesh has not lost anything after granting separate statehood to the Telangana region.

He said the separation would give a chance to develop backward regions of the residual Andhra Pradesh state, for which special packages would be provided by the Congress. 

Campaigning for Congress candidates in Tuni town of East Godavari district, he said, there was no loss to Andhra Pradesh by granting separate statehood to Telangana. There is every chance to develop backward regions in Andhra Pradesh. For the development of these regions, our party will provide special packages. After bifurcation, the Polavaram project came to Andhra Pradesh. This will benefit a lot of farmers, he said. 

He said that right from its inception, Congress initiated developmental activities for the benefit of the downtrodden, weaker sections of society, minorities and others in the country. He said that though some parties have been making false propaganda to tarnish Congress's image, the party was not affected by it. There has been no loss to the Congress even though some leaders left the party, since youth are being given more opportunities to strengthen the party.

 Later, at a road show in which Chiranjeevi participated, Congress candidate D Panduranga Rao said that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government did not develop the Tuni assembly seat, while during the nine-year rule of Congress, a flyover bridge, drainage and roads were developed and a proposal has been sent to the government to construct a wall to protect low-lying areas affected by rains, floods and natural calamities. He predicted that the people would elect the Congress to power.