District division heats up politics

Hyderabad: The recent decision of the Telangana state Cabinet to create new districts by reorganising the 10 existing districts has triggered a political storm.

Though the government is yet to finalise the number of new districts, the “selective leakages” being given to the media on the proposed districts is creating apprehensions among Opposition parties.

Opposition leaders see TRS’ “political ambitions” rather than administrative convenience behind the split of existing districts. They see the TRS targeting some key leaders of Opposition parties by reorganising their constituencies in the name of creating new districts.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has been advocating the creation of new districts ever since he assumed office in June 2014. The TRS had promised new districts in its election manifesto during the 2014 general elections.

Though all Opposition parties welcome the creation of new districts saying that it would decentralise the administration, they are objecting to the way the TRS government is trying to “politicise” the issue and derive mileage out of it in the elections in future.

They point out that the TRS leaders are promising new districts wherever elections are scheduled, indicating that they are concerned more about electoral gains than administrative convenience.

For instance, in Mahbubnagar district, the TS government is proposing to create Nagarkurnool and Wanaparthy districts and ignored Gadwal segment.

“Gadwal deserved district status rather than any other segment in Mahbubnagar district. It was the biggest samsthan in Telangana during the Nizam’s rule and has hundreds of acres of land gifted by samsthan rulers to the government where district headquarters can be set up. It is just 10 minutes from National Highway 7 and borders neighbouring states and all major irrigation projects pass through it. The Gadwal railway station celebrates 100 years next year. Ignoring all this, the CM has announced Nagarkurnool and Wanaparthy districts just because Congress is strong here,” said Ms D.K. Aruna, Gadwal Congress MLA and former minister.

TS BJP president G. Kishan Reddy echoed the same views. “The BJP has always welcomed small states and small districts for administrative convenience. But the way the TRS government is going ahead without consulting political parties and giving selective leaks on new districts is creating utter confusion. The proposal to divide Hyderabad into four districts was also aimed to strengthen the TRS foothold in GHMC limits, where the party is very weak.  We will not accept such new districts formed on the basis of political compulsions,” Mr Reddy said.

TS TD  leader Errabelli Dayakar Rao alleged that the CM was taking decisions on new districts only to suit vastu and astrology and not for administrative convenience.

“The CM is saying that 14 new districts would be created without disclosing the scientific basis as to why only 14 districts are being created. Is it because it suits his lucky number of 6? At present, there are 10 districts and when 14 new ones are added they become 24. When 2 and 4 are added, they come to the CM’s lucky number of 6. This seems to be the approach of his government,” Mr Rao added.

After the Cabinet meeting on September 2, the CM said at the press conference that the population would be the criterion for creating new districts.

He said that while the national average for a district was 19 lakh population, it was 35 lakh in TS. If the 19-lakh population mark is taken as a cut-off, 18 new districts can be created.