Rayalaseema MLAs pitch for united State

Core issues:Rayalaseema legislators meeting in Hyderabad on Wednesday. J.C. Diwakar Reddy is also seen.
HYDERABAD: Divergent voices favouring merger of Rayalaseema with Telangana and creation of Greater Rayalaseema forced a meeting of Congress legislators here on Wednesday to unanimously pitch for maintaining the present status of Andhra Pradesh.
The meeting, attended by about two dozen MLAs and MLCs of Congress and Praja Rajyam from the Rayalaseema region, saw former Minister J.C. Diwakar Reddy while supporting a united Andhra Pradesh, gave an altogether new dimension to the statehood issue by saying that Rayalaseema would suffer the most if the State was bifurcated.
“If the State is divided, Andhra region has nothing to lose but Rayalaseema will have to depend on Telangana for every drop of river water. In such a scenario, it is better to merge Rayalaseema with Telangana,” he observed.
‘Humiliation'
He was joined by Yemmiganur MLA K.C. Keshava Reddy who wanted a full stop to humiliation of Rayalaseema people in Hyderabad by branding them as settlers.
Srisailam MLA Erasu Pratap Reddy wanted creation of Greater Rayalaseema, if bifurcation became necessary.
But, after a two-hour meeting where PR legislators were also present, the leaders stuck to their opposition to carving out a new State. Telugu Desam Party legislators skipped the meeting.
Leaders recalled the sacrifice made by Andhra/Rayalaseema by way of shifting the State capital from Kurnool and High Court at Guntur to Hyderabad in the overall interests of Telugu-speaking people.
Instead of bifurcation, they wanted the Central and State governments to identify most backward areas in all the three regions for sustained development.
Government Whip Sake Sailajanath said the need to maintain present status of united Andhra Pradesh and ensuring all-round development of the State would form part of their report to the panel. Kurnool MLA T.G. Venkatesh said another meeting would be held on March 18 to fine-tune the report. Congress MLC Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy wanted the legislators to fight to protect the rights of Rayalaseema, while PR MLA Shoba Nagi Reddy said her party was always in favour of united AP.