Strong opposition to Rayala Telangana

Hyderabad: While the Congress high command appears to be moving in the direction of creating Rayala Telangana by merging Kurnool and Anantapur with Telangana, opposition parties and groups like the BJP, TJAC, TNGOs and T Congress leaders have started upping the ante against such a move.

TJAC chairman Prof M Kodandaram, TNGO president Devi Prasad and BJP leader Ch Vidyasagar Rao on Monday strongly criticized the move. Kodandaram said that the TJAC would not accept anything more than Telangana that existed before 1956. Devi Prasad said the 60-year-old agitation was not for Rayala Telangana.

Ch Vidyasagar Rao accused the Congress-led UPA Government of attempting to steal the real power from the proposed Telangana state. He said the BJP wanted Telangana with 10 districts with Hyderabad as its capital. He further said the Congress was trying to confuse the people in the name of Rayala-Telangana by using the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen.

The TJAC leaders and TNGOs, who are camping in Delhi to mobilise support for T state with 10 districts, met former PCC president D Srinivas and Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy and urged them not to agree to the creation of Rayala Telagnana.

Talking to media, Srinivas exuded confidence that the GoM would recommend T state with 10 districts and Hyderabad as capital. He said, “A conspiracy was on to pressurise the Centre to add two districts of Rayalaseema with T state.” Prof Kodandaram, strongly opposing the move of Rayala Telangana, said that they would be meeting CPI and other leaders on Tuesday and hold “Mouna Deeksha,” in New Delhi opposing Rayala Telangana.

The T Congress MPs led by MP Ponnam Prabhakar also met Jaipal Reddy and said that the high command would not agree to Rayala Telangana.