Sailajanath insists on voting on Telangana Bill

Legislative Affairs Minister S Sailajanath on Friday insisted that the State Legislative Assembly take up voting on every clause of the Andhra Prdesh State Reorganisation Bill.

Participate in the debate on Telangana Bill in the Assembly, Sailajanath said that in view of future of Telugu people, the Seemandhra leaders were opposing the decision of the Congress High Command to bifurcate the State. The issue of bifurcation is highly sensitive and a decision in this regard could not be taken across the table, he said.

At this stage, Errabelli Dayakar Rao of TDP got agitated and rushed to the podium. On being allowed by the Speaker to express his views, Dayakar Rao said that it was wrong on the part of Sailajanath to give such a statement while holding the portfolio of Legislative Affairs Minister. He said that Sailajanath must resign from his post before making such a statement.

Continuing his speech, Sailajanath said that he was in favour of voting on Telangana Bill. He claimed that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was against bifurcation. He said that people of Seemandhra region have invested their blood and sweat in the development of Hyderabad and they would never leave Hyderabad. He said Telangana leaders were trying to give credit to Nizam for the development of Hyderabad. He asked how many educational institutions were set up during Nizam's era. There was only one medical and one engineering college in Urdu medium. He claimed that not a single Telugu medium school was set up by the Nizam.

The TRS members protested against the minister's remarks against Nizam.

"We are not uninvited guests in Hyderabad. We were formally invited through Burgula Ramakrishna Rao. We gave many sacrifices and Hyderabadis did not give any sacrifice for city's development. When Hyderabad was made the capital, we shifted all assets from our regions. Today the city is on global map due to Seemandhra people," Sailajanath claimed.

Sailajanath said that in 1955-56, the revenue of Hyderabad State was Rs 25.90 crore while Andhra State's revenues were Rs 21.20 crore. In Hyderabad State, only 3.5 lakh acre of land was under irrigation only for namesake and the entire irrigation was developed by the Seemandhra region people. "Nizam is praised by those who got benefited from him. Andhra Pradesh formation empowered the Dalits and downtrodden. The bifurcation would affect the Telugu language and its people who have a history of 3,000 years," he said.