Hyderabad : Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday slammed Andhra Pradesh for what he called for creating unnecessary post-bifurcation problems and also hit out at the Centre for failing in its duty to do arbitration to resolve the issues.
Speaking in the Assembly, he noted that due to the stand taken by Andhra Pradesh government and the attitude of the Centre, some issues remained unresolved even seven years after bifurcation.
He alleged that Andhra Pradesh created controversies on various issues. The issue of division of electricity employees went to the Supreme Court.
Making a statement on filling up vacancies in the government departments, the Chief Minister said the distribution of institutions under 9th and 10th schedules of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act remained unresolved.
He said if these issues were resolved, the youth of Telangana will get 10,000 to 20,000 more job opportunities.
Terming as baseless the demand by Andhra Pradesh for share in certain institutions like Agriculture University and RTC Hospital, he recalled that Agriculture College, which later was upgraded as university, was set up by Nizam of Hyderabad on a suggestion of eminent engineer M. Visvesvaraya.
He said Andhra Pradesh being residuary state was given the power to finalise seniority of bureaucrats and this affected the recruitment.
KCR said that the Chief Secretary and 14 other IAS officers were forced to run around the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) due to the stand taken by Andhra Pradesh.
The Chief Minister said the Central government failed in its duty to do arbitration and resolve the inter-state issues.
Recalling the struggle for statehood to Telangana, he said people of Telangana suffered injustice and discrimination for long and the state witnessed misery, suicides and migration. He said after achieving the goal of Telangana state, the Telanga Rashtra Samithi (TRS) also succeeded in taking the state on the path of progress.
“For other parties, politics is a game but for TRS it is a task, a sacred responsibility. Whatever task we took up, we completed it with responsibility,” he said.
KCR alleged that their rivals were trying to detract them from their goal by making personal attacks but he never cared and carried on as he always felt he has a responsibility towards people.
Recalling that funds, water and appointments was a key slogan during Telangana movement, he said the diversion of funds stopped with the formation of Telangana state. He said by building irrigation projects, the state utilised Godavari water which was going waste into sea. He remarked that the fight for due water share is continuing.
KCR pointed out that Telangana had Mulki Rules since 1919 to protect the interests of locals in appointments. He said despite all the safeguards like Presidential Order, locals were deprived of job opportunities in undivided Andhra Pradesh.
The Chief Minister said even after formation of Telangana state, his government created new zonal system by fighting successfully for amendment to Presidential Order to make sure that locals get 95 per cent of all government jobs. He said that this measure was necessary as the same language is spoken in both the states and there was a danger of non-locals once again taking away most of the jobs.
–IANS