TRS leaders in dilemma changing their words

Hyderabad, July 27: Telangana Rashtra Samithi leaders seem to be in a state of a sheer dilemma over the demand for special category status to Andhra Pradesh. Different leaders of the party are intoning different tunes on the demand on different occasions.

During the budget session of the Lok Sabha, TRS MP and party president K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter Kalvakuntla Kavitha went on record in the House extending support to the demand by Andhra MPs for granting special category status to AP.

She demanded that the Centre should fulfill all the promises made to AP as well as Telangana under the act of bifurcation. Earlier, KCR also made a similar statement and said his party had no objection if AP was given special status.

But during the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament, the TRS took a different stand. Its MP B Vinod Kumar strongly objected to the special status to AP, as it would result in gliding of industries from Telangana to AP.

But on Tuesday, TRS Rajya Sabha member K Kesava Rao said the Centre should fulfil the AP's demand.

KCR's nephew and state irrigation minister T Harish Rao changed his stand twice in a term of 2 days – first opposing special status to AP and then changing his tune saying AP can be given special status without affecting the interests of Telangana.

Nalgonda MP Gutha Sukender Reddy on Wednesday felt that Telangana State's interest would be severely smashed if special category status was accorded to only Andhra Pradesh without providing the same to Telangana.

He said he had already written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that interest of Telangana State would be affected if special status was given only to Andhra Pradesh.

Stating that industrialists would prefer investing in AP than Telangana State if special status was accorded to the neighbouring State.

Nalgonda MP gave the example of an industrialist who had shown interest to setup bricks manufacturing unit at Kodhad decided to shift the unit to AP expecting that the State would be given special status.

He reprised his demand for special status to be given to Telangana State also if there was any move to accord special status to neighbouring State.