Comments
Welcoming the Congress Working Committee’s endorsement for a separate Telangana State, Congress leader and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha said justice had been done to a six-decade-long struggle.
Narasimha, who was in New Delhi for discussions with the party high command and the Centre, told Business Line in an interview that the decision would strengthen the party in the Telangana region.
Excerpts from the interview:
What is your reaction to the announcement on formation a separate Telangana?
It is a great decision. So many youths have sacrificed their lives for the demand. Self-immolation was a unique form of protest adopted by the people. In all, 370 people were shot dead in 1969 during the protests.
This movement is dear to all the people of Telangana. Now, the Congress has done justice to this struggle of six long decades.
How long will the process of carving out a separate State take?
Two to three months. Congress is a political party and it will benefit thousand per cent by this decision. The people of Andhra and Telangana have different cultures. We were never emotionally and psychologically integrated. We don’t have any sort of animosity or ill will against any one. We have never asked for an extra piece of land or drop of water.
Your Chief Minister (Kiran Reddy) and the Pradesh Congress president (Botcha Satyanarayana) are not from the Telangana region. Do you think this will hamper the process?
No, it will not. The Congress high command has taken a decision and now it is the responsibility of every Congress worker to abide by it.
Hyderabad is proposed as capital of both the States for 10 years. How long will the process of finding a new capital take?
The common man in Andhra Pradesh is more concerned about livelihood. Only some politicians are concerned about Hyderabad. A new capital city will be formed in five to six years. Every settler in Hyderabad is part of the city and part of Telangana. It is the party’s and the new Government’s responsibility to protect the people of the city.
Comments
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.