In a highly anticipated meeting, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu are scheduled to meet later today to address the long-standing disputes that have cast a shadow on the relationship between the two States for the past decade.

On the agenda are issues around the division of assets, which include several State public sector units and ‘unpaid power dues’ to Andhra Pradesh, as outlined in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014.

Despite a hostile past, there is optimism surrounding the talks due to the historical connection between the two leaders, with Naidu having previously mentored Reddy in the undivided Andhra Pradesh. Reddy was groomed by Naidu in politics when the latter was in the Telugu Desam Party. Reddy later joined Congress before the 2018 Assembly elections, seeing no future for the TDP in Telangana.

Reddy’s recent victory over the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and his subsequent appointment as Chief Minister have created an opportunity for a fresh dialogue and potential resolution of the long-pending issues.

Naidu’s landslide victory in the recent Assembly elections facilitated the dialogue. He made the first move by writing to Reddy last week, offering to hold talks to sort out the issues. Reddy responded quickly and positively, offering to host the talks in Hyderabad.

The financial implications of these discussions are significant, with power dues alone amounting to about ₹7,000 crore. The aggregate assets worth ₹1.42 lakh crore are to be divided between the two States.

The outcome of today’s meeting could have far-reaching consequences for the future of the two States, potentially paving the way for improved cooperation and the resolution of critical issues that have been roadblocks over the last 10 years.

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