‘Andhra intellectuals' not against bifurcation

President of Andhra Intellectuals Forum C. Srinivas in Hyderabad on Thursday.
HYDERABAD: The Andhra Intellectuals Forum has said that it is not opposed to the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, provided problems of Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions like irrigation, industries, employment and capital city are resolved first.
A delegation of the forum led by its president Chalasani Srinivas met Srikrishna Committee member-secretary V.K. Duggal and member Ravinder Kaur here on Thursday to present their view on the present situation. “Instead of just explaining the conditions in our region, we have suggested ways to resolve the imbroglio”, he told media persons after the meeting. Bifurcation of the State would be disastrous for Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema with regard to river waters unless their interests were protected before separation, Mr. Srinivas said.
The committee members had told the forum to represent its apprehensions on river waters to a sub-panel to be formed with a former chairman of CWC as its head.
The forum favoured Hyderabad as the second national capital as suggested by B.R. Ambedkar in the past and developing growth centres in the two regions before bifurcation.
The situation in rest of AP would be much worse than an inferno, if the State was divided without addressing their problems, he warned.
Coastal Andhra-Rayalaseema people were not ready to take lying down the insult of being branded as “exploiters”.
The forum was also not against the idea of Telangana and Rayalaseema together as their (Coastal Andhra people) life with Rayalaseema would also be difficult.
Later, a delegation of Telangana Jagruti Samithi led by its president K. Kavita explained how writers and artistes of the region were being denied their due share of respect over the years.
Talking to media persons, Ms. Kavita, who is daughter of TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao, stated that the committee members had asked them about the concept of separation of Telangana without Hyderabad in the event the State was divided.
They had told the committee that it would not be allowed at any cost as Hyderabad was the heart and soul of Telangana and was built with the sweat and money of Telangana people.