TS, AP fight an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth

First, the row on power and water sharing. Then students' tuition fee, EAMCET exams and finally the finances of the institutions under schedule 9 as per the AP reorganization Act.

The birth pangs of bifurcation of the Telengana state was emerging as a 'Tit for Tat - an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth ' counter action between both the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Even the Governor's intervention has failed to bring truce between the two warring states on the issue of EAMCET and has sparked off yet another row over transfer of funds from Telengana soil to AP .

The ongoing tussle between the Telugu speaking states on the Common entrance tests took a serious turn on Friday when the Telangana government asked its Nodal Bank- the State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH) to freeze accounts of the Andhra Pradesh State Higher Education Council (APSHEC).

While the AP government argues that the APSHEC is the competent authority to organize common entrance tests for ten years, the Telagnana government rejects the contention and has gone ahead to organize a separate TSHEC and also independent EAMCET for its students of higher studies. "The issue is same as that of the row on labor departments welfare funds few months ago," says a senior official at the AP education ministry .

AP education minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao said that the Telangana government has asked the SBH to freeze Rs. 120 crore. According to him, the Telangana government had allegedly requested the Bank to freeze the account following which the Bank has informed the AP government that all transactions with that account can’t be carried on any further. Incidentally, SBH has become the Treasury operator for the new Telangana state and hence more compliance. About Rs. 120 crore worth deposits are in various branches of these banks of which Rs. 50 crore are fixed deposits while another Rs. 60 crore are in the form of welfare fund related to employees including their loans, medical allowances, pensions and others. Some cash is also available in various banks for day-to-day transactions.

“Is Telangana a part of Indian republic or something like Vatican?” asked Ganta Srinivasa Rao, adding that the AP govt will file a defamation suit against the Bank for freezing the account. Telengana ministers and officials pooh poohed the tantrums of the AP minister and said 'Funny how their bank Andhra Bank had towed their line on labor funds earlier.'

Earlier in the month of October Telangana sought freezing of funds of common institutions that come under Section 10, 9 and 8 of the AP Reorganization Act, following the transfer of Rs 609 cr by Andhra Pradesh Assistant Labour Commissioner PV Murali Sagar to a bank in Vijayawada. The Telangana government also slapped criminal cases on the IAS officer following a complaint lodged by Telangana labor commissioner A Ashok that Telangana funds have been transferred to Vijayawada.

Following the SBH row, the cash strapped AP government and the APSHEC will find it difficult to conduct EAMCET examinations. The Telengana government which had opposed the admissions of students in educational institutions even after the EAMCET exams in 2014. Educational experts in Telangana say that they would have opposed the joint EAMCET in 2014 if the new state was born then. The hiatus is more damaging to students of AP now as all of them become non-locals and have to fight for seats in the 475 of the 700 engineering colleges that have been located in and around Hyderabad

However, Former Telangana Minister for Education G. Jagadish Reddy has held Andhra Pradesh responsible for separate Eamcet exams.

"AP hastily declared schedule unilaterally. and even foiled truce efforts of Governor and finally Narasimhan conceded separate Eamcet for both states," he said .