HYDERABAD: A little over two months of acrimony was replaced with goodwill and bitterness with good humour, in just about two hours, when Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, K Chandrasekhar Rao and N Chandrababu Naidu, shook hands and met for a formal talk at the Raj Bhavan here Sunday — for the first time after coming to power.
Not only did they resolve some vexatious issues, but also decided to join hands to keep Telangana and AP on the development track and if need be, exert pressure on the Centre to ensure that the two States of Telugus get their due.
The meeting, held at the initiative of Governor ESL Narasimhan, was cordial throughout. Well, the Governor was present in any case to moderate! At first, Naidu and KCR were closeted with him in his chambers for about an hour. Later, Speakers of the two Assemblies, Sirikonda Madhusudhanachary (TS) and Kodela Siva Prasada Rao (AP), Chief Secretaries of TS and AP, Rajiv Sharma and IYR Krishna Rao, and finance secretaries of the two States too joined in.
There was no ‘joint statement’ at the end of the meeting but Naidu and KCR, at separate press briefings later, made it abundantly clear that the talks were fruitful. What more, they have decided to meet a few more times to thrash out pending issues. In fact, there was an air of optimism, right from the moment the duo arrived at the Raj Bhavan. A beaming Governor led them into his chambers and made them sit on his either side. One could tell from vibes emanating that the atmosphere was jovial — which KCR and Naidu later confirmed.
Show Statesmanship, Guv advises two cms
Governor ESL Narasimhan is said to have told Naidu and KCR to show statesmanship. The Governor, who first held a 40-minute meeting with the duo, referred to the problems between the two governments in regard to sharing of Assembly premises and told them to adopt a give and take approach. He is also understood to have pointed at the manner in which senior IAS officer Chandana Khan was stopped by police at the gates of the National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management recently and told KCR such incidents do not augur well.
Jab they met
Issues Discussed
Sharing of accommodation on Assembly premises
Allocation of State-level employees
Sharing govt institutes, specified in 9th & 10th schedules of AP Reorganisation Act
Outcome
Sharing of Assembly premises resolved
KCR agrees to let AP use Old Assembly building, except TS Deputy Speaker’s chambers
Naidu okays KCR proposal to end AP budget session by Sept 7 as TS budget session begins on Sept 9
Both agree on allocation of 67,000 State-level employees; direct their chief secys to settle the matter amicably; if they can’t, the CMs will intervene
Both decide to follow AP Reorganisation Act in case of sharing of govt institutes
Babu gets capital advice from KCR
KCR, a staunch believer in astrology and numerology, is learnt to have given some suggestions to his AP counterpart with regard to locating the new capital of the reorganised State as per Vaastu. The TS CM reportedly advised Naidu to set up the capital between Mangalagiri and Amaravathi in Guntur district. As river Krishna flows at this place, it would be perfect as per Vaastu, KCR told Naidu. Later, the AP CM, when asked about it, quipped: “What is wrong in taking the advice of KCR? He is also a Telugu man.”
Unresolved Issues
KCR, Naidu to meet a few more times to iron out differences on issues such as special powers to Governor over Hyderabad, power and river water sharing
Thus spake KCR
I will tell you how well the talks went. While ending the meeting, I jokingly asked Naidu whether he would give an NoC (no objection certificate) to Rajiv Sharma, our CS, if he is allotted to AP. Naidu quickly replied, ‘I will.’
Our talks will be mutually beneficial. As Telangana has no coastline, we will request the AP govt to allot us the Bandar Port. In return, we will cooperate with the AP govt in addressing its needs in Hyderabad
Babu speak
Is KCR a stranger to me? I know him since 1984. He is my old friend and was a cabinet colleague. We both worked together in the TDP. If necessary, we will meet three to four times to sort out issues
If we give more scope for confrontation, all our time will be wasted for that and we won’t find time for development. Henceforth, we will together exert pressure on the Centre to do justice to the two Telugu States
Spl Powers to Guv
The issue did not come up. We will discuss it at the next meeting. But our government opposes the Centre’s decision to invest the Governor with powers over Hyderabad. TS Governor has the same powers as the Governors in other States.
Intensive Household Survey
It is aimed at eliminating bogus beneficiaries as well as identifying genuine beneficiaries. Yes, I am a Hitler, while dealing with people who are swindling public money
Nativity
The survey is not intended to trace the nativity of people living in Telangana. To achieve this purpose, our government has issued a GO, by fixing 1956 as the cut-off date
We have not discussed it. We are, however, for the safety of Telugus irrespective of the place they live in and will come to their rescue whenever the need arises. Hyd has been developed by all and people all over the country stay here and hence, there is a need to protect them
It is an internal affair of the Telangana govt. If any violation takes place, we will deal with it at the party level. I expect KCR to treat all people living in TS equally
KCR never said he would violate the law. I hope he honours the Presidential Order on nativity. As per law, anyone who stays at a place for 4-7 years is treated as a local