After a decade of secession of the Telugu states, the Chief Ministers of the two states are going to meet on July 6 in Hyderabad to resolve the pending issues and disputes.
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy invited his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu for a face to face meeting during the afternoon hours of July 6 at the Mahatma Jyoti Rao Phule Bhavan in Hyderabad. The invitation came after the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s proposal to Revanth Reddy for a meeting to resolve pending issues from the state bifurcation. Both the Chief Ministers planned this historical joint meeting to discuss about the issues related to growth, prosperity, and well-being in Telugu-speaking States.
In a letter addressed to Chandrababu Naidu, Revanth Reddy expressed his full agreement with his reflections on the need for a meeting between the two Chief Ministers of the Telugu states.
“It is indeed an imperative need to resolve all pending issues of the Bifurcation Act. An in-person meeting is necessary to help us build a strong foundation for mutual cooperation, exchange of ideas, and enable us to better serve our respective people,” the Telangana Chief Minister stated.
What Happened in Last 10 Years?:
Despite 10 long years since the bifurcation of composite Andhra Pradesh, several issues, such as the bifurcation of assets located in Hyderabad, power bill dues remain unresolved between both the states. For the first decade since bifurcation, both States had Chief Ministers who did not share a great rapport, and hence resolving issues took a back seat.
Why the Political Confrontation?:
Due to political confrontation adopted by the previous BRS government with the previous Telugu Desam government and subsequently YSR Congress government in Andhra Pradesh from 2014 to 2019 and 2019 to 2024 respectively also with the BJP-led government at the Centre from 2019 to 2024, none of the major bifurcation issues could be resolved.
The relationship between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh is anything but cordial over the last 10 years. Unresolved issues around the division of assets and sharing of waters continue to be messy with mutual distrust coming in the way of finding a way out. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which was helming the government in Telangana for 10 years, and the Telugu Desam Party during 2014-19, and the YSRCP that headed the government during 2019-24 were not in good terms, taking a hard position in finding a solution.
Why Revanth Was Adopted Proactive Role?:
With BRS losing power and Congress forming government in Telangana in December 2023, Revanth Reddy decided to maintain cordial relations with the AP government as well as the Centre to resolve pending bifurcation issues between both the states.
Major Issues Remain Unresolved:
The Lok Sabha passed the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014 on February 18, 2014, and the Rajya Sabha on February 20, 2014, following a prolonged struggle for separate Telangana State.
That none of the issues mentioned in the AP Reorganisation Act 2014 was resolved as of June 2, 2024, which marks the end of Hyderabad as a common Capital for the two States reflects the seriousness of the problem.
Re-merger of 7 villages in Bhadrachalam area into Telangana from Andhra Pradesh, which mandals are included in AP through ordinance after the state bifurcation.
Distribution of employees and official buildings located in Hyderabad, New Delhi.
Division of schedule IX and X institutions and sharing of Andhra Bhavan and Singareni Collieries properties.
Payment of power dues to the Andhra Pradesh Generation Corporation (AP GENCO) by the power distribution companies of Telangana
Godavari & Krishna water sharing and the disputes related to on-going irrigation projects are the some of the major issues still pending between two Telugu States.