NEW DELHI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has suggested a face-to-face meeting with Telanganaโs Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to discuss issues from the stateโs division. This proposal has caused quite a stir in political circles.
Naidu, whose TDP is in the BJP-led NDA, has suggested meeting Reddy at his home in Hyderabad on July 6. In his letter to Reddy, Naidu emphasized the need for the Telugu-speaking statesโ chief ministers to โwork closely togetherโ to ensure ongoing progress and prosperity for both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
โItโs been 10 years since Andhra Pradesh was divided. Weโve had many discussions about issues from the Reorganisation Act that greatly affect the well-being and progress of our states,โ Naidu said in the letter.
I have written to the Honโble Chief Minister of Telangana, Sri @revanth_anumula Garu, proposing a meeting to discuss matters of mutual interest between our two Telugu-speaking States. I look forward to working closely with him to resolve post-bifurcation issues, enhanceโฆ pic.twitter.com/RKVbBYwpxO
โ N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) July 1, 2024
TDP supremo Naidu stated that meeting in person would allow for thorough discussions to find solutions that benefit both states. Interestingly, Reddy used to be in the TDP and was close to Naidu before switching to Congress. Naiduโs proposal comes as the deadline for Hyderabad being the joint capital of both states has ended. Now, Hyderabad will be the capital of Telangana alone, while Andhra Pradesh still needs a capital city. The TDP has promised to develop Amaravati as the stateโs capital.
The previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP government rejected the TDPโs proposal and suggested having three capitals instead. According to their plan, Amaravati would be the legislative capital, Kurnool the judicial capital, and Visakhapatnam the administrative capital. However, this plan has yet to materialize.
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On June 6, Reddy called Naidu to congratulate him after the election results and expressed his willingness to resolve the pending issues between the two states. The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act was passed by the Lok Sabha on February 18, 2014, and the Rajya Sabha on February 20, 2014.
Even after a decade since the bifurcation, many issues remain unresolved, mainly due to court cases. These issues include power dues, the division of 91 institutions, cash balances and bank deposits, asset division, the establishment of a thermal power plant and a tribal university, road connectivity, and the sharing of Krishna and Godavari river waters.
Additionally, there are unresolved matters like setting up an integrated steel plant at Bayyaram in Telanganaโs Khammam district and a development grant for backward districts that Telangana claims they havenโt received.
