CM dares Sonia

New Delhi: During his meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy raised the pitch on keeping Andhra Pradesh united. In his 50-minute presentation on Wednesday, the Chief Minister is understood to have conveyed in unequivocal and unmistakable terms that if the Congress High Command persists with the decision to press ahead with its decision on bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, then the party is bound to suffer a serious electoral setback.

Kiran Reddy countered the political advantages listed out earlier in support of the decision on bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. After his spirited presentation before Antony Committee on Tuesday night for over 40 minutes, Kiran Reddy firmed up his position on the issues relating to bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh before Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Four lakh NGOs are on strike and lakhs of people from various walks of life are participating in the general strike across Seemandhra region on a daily basis. Impressing upon Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi the gravity of the situation on the ground, Kiran Reddy is understood to have suggested evaluation of the issues at stake by experts, in order to obtain a dispassionate view. Kiran Reddy is also understood to have given a detailed presentation on the ground situation in the Seemandhra region, where the agitation has been intensified. Water-sharing is the major issue that is worrying the people in Seemandhra.

If the farmers hit the streets, then the Congress base will be severely eroded, irreparably damaging the party’s standing in what was once considered the impregnable Congress bastion. Sharing waters from a single dam, he reiterated, is something unheard of till date. This relates to sharing water from Nagarjunasagar Dam and Srisailam Dam.

A common argument advanced is that tribunal awards and court verdicts could guarantee water supply. This argument was punctured by the Chief Minister by citing the example of Cauvery River water-sharing, which has scaled hysterical pitch, with Karnataka rejecting out of hand whether it is tribunal award, or court directive or the Cauvery Authority headed by the Prime Minister.

As it is, Andhra Pradesh is facing problems with Maharashtra on Babli and with Karnataka on Almatti. More such problems will multiply, if the division of the state is gone ahead with. Seemandhra people will be worst hit in the education, employment and healthcare sectors. All the Central Universities and centres of higher learning are located in Hyderabad. Similarly, with IT establishment based in Hyderabad, employments prospects of the Seemandhra youth will be hurt. Even healthcare facilities are located in Hyderabad and division of the state will affect them.

With majority of the four-lakh NGOs being from Seemandhra region, it means as many families will be dislocated. It could have snowballing impact that could ultimately rebound on the Congress, it was pointed out.