Hyderabad: Telangana state Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has made it clear that his party, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, will support the demand for special status for Andhra Pradesh.
Responding to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s comment expressing doubts about his support, Mr Rao said, “I am saying this from Telangana soil, that the TRS will support special status for AP. Mr Naidu is asking Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy if KCR told him in his ear about supporting special status for AP. I am saying this openly, there is no need to tell it in anyone’s ear; we don’t do any conspiracy like Naidu.”
Mr Rao was addressing what could be his last public meeting before the elections at Vikarabad in Chevella Lok Sabha constituency.
He repeated what he has said on many occasions that the TRS will win 16 Lok Sabha seats and the MIM will win one in Telangana. In Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will win a good number of Lok Sabha seats. About 35 to 36 MPs from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are enough to fight for special status for Andhra Pradesh, Mr Rao said.
He said in AP, Mr Naidu will have to forfeit his deposit, according to the latest survey he has seen.
Addressing the huge gathering in Vikarabad, Mr Rao also said he will not interfere in the Polavaram project even though he was opposed to it as it has done an injustice to Telangana, which should get a share of the water.
“We want our share of 1,000 TMC of Godavari water. We will extend support to Polavaram project, we have no objection if Andhra people utilise the water rather than it going waste in the sea,” the CM said. “We are not like Chandrababu, who abuses me and Telangana every day. We wish to develop Andhra people also. Andhra people are good, we are not against Andhra people; we have differences with some politicians like Naidu,” Mr Rao declared.
Mr Rao said that the BJP and Congress have released their manifestos, and both parties have copied several schemes from Telangana such as Rythu Bandhu, and he is very proud of that.
Playing up the importance of regional parties, he said neither the BJP nor the Congress will come to power and thus regional parties will play a key role. If people vote for the TRS and it wins 16 Lok Sabha seats, he will play a key role in bringing qualitative change in national politics and also to develop Telangana state.
Rao said if the TRS candidate in Chevella wins with one lakh majority, he will scrap GO No 111 of 1996 to give relief to farmers and others.
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