The “rayal” game seems to have well and truly begun. Within two days of Delhi’s T decision, ministers and legislators from Kurnool and Anantapur are understood to have got down to the task of ensuring merger of the two districts with the Telangana State.
No wonder, prominent among those who adopted a belligerent posture against the division of the State on Thursday were ministers TG Venkatesh and Erasu Pratap Reddy (both from Kurnool) and former minister JC Diwakar Reddy (Anantapur). That the trio have been at this game ever since hints came from Delhi in favour of division of the State is public knowledge.
That they have in their company some prominent Telangana leaders belonging to the Reddy community in the push for a Rayala-Telangana state is also well-known. According to informed sources, these Congress leaders have also roped in TDP legislator P Keshav, who belongs to Anantapur.
Keshav is said to have spoken to a minister from Anantapur, N Raghuveera Reddy, to persuade him to agree to this proposal. On his part, Diwakar Reddy reportedly got in touch with YSR Congress MLA Shobha Nagi Reddy. Obviously not too concerned about the fact that such a move amounts to demolishing the history/culture/geography of Rayalaseema region comprising two more districts, Kadapa and Chittoor, the idea is being sold on the ground that Kurnool and Anantapur will benefit significantly if they are a part of Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital. “We cannot sever our connections with Hyderabad. If division is inevitable, we should be part of Hyderabad,” said a Kurnool Congress leader on Thursday. The message is clear.
Interestingly, the trio pushing for the proposal — Erasu Pratap, TG Venkatesh and Diwakar Reddy — as also several other political leaders from these two districts have significant business interests in Hyderabad.
But, for public consumption, the merger is being touted as ideal for various reasons: a) it will help check YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy as the region he comes from will be shrunk; b) it will help protect the interests of students belonging to these two districts as they can continue to access good higher education in Hyderabad and c) disputes over sharing of Krishna river waters will end.
While the Majlis party has always preferred Rayala-Telangana in the event of division, the Kurnool/Anantapur leaders also seem to believe that they would not encounter stiff resistance from Telangana leaders if it helps push through the bill smoothly.
Having toyed with this idea for some time, the Congress central leadership finally declared only a T state to avoid being blamed for giving something that has not been asked for.
But AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh has sort of left it open-ended by saying that such a proposal could be considered if it comes from leaders of Kurnool/Anantapur themselves.
It would then appear as if the Rayala-T state has been created as per the wishes of local legislators and not, something imposed from Delhi.