Bifurcation left a deep scar on psyche on Telugu people: Guv

Governor Esl Narasimhan on Saturday strongly condemned the way in which the State of Andhra Pradesh was bifurcation.

"The decision to bifurcate the united State of Andhra Pradesh and the manner it was done has left behind a deep sense of disappointment and a trail of bitter memories. Popular sentiments, aspirations and expectations of a large section of the populace, remain unfulfilled. Unscientific way of bifurcation has also left a deep scar on the psyche of Telugu people. These wounds would take some time to heal," said Governor while addressing the joint session of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly and Council.

The Governor said that a large section of populace perceiving exclusion does not augur well for the polity. "The discords and inconsistencies such as relating to distribution of assets and liabilities, allocating of power generating units, procedure adopted in distribution of personnel and in demarcation of boundaries, warrant a relook to fulfill the aspirations of the people," he said. A more consistent principle and a certain uniformity of basis on apportionment of debt, power sharing, issues in the field of education and more equitable distribution of cadre is the need of the hour, he said.

"Telugu speaking people have witnessed a turbulent history of State demarcation and the current reorganisation is yet another deep scar on their heart and sentiments. Telugu people had to shift out of Madras to Kurnool for self-identity and then to Hyderabad on linguistic basis. Now, the people of the present State of Andhra Pradesh are without a capital to name. The instability of political geography has repeatedly pushed the Telugu people away from the path of development and progress," the Governor said in his address.

Narasimhan said that provisions made in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 for the development of State of Andhra Pradesh were wholly inadequate and could not compensate for the loss of opportunity and would leave the State severely disadvantaged. "Income generation, employment opportunities, health and educational institutions, R&D and training facilities and the social infrastructure are significantly short o the requirements of the new State in its endeavors for development. The division is yet to address the vital issue of a new capital, which has also created an avoidable uncertainty," he said.

During his 35-minute long speech the Governor has also listed out the priorities of the new government of Andhra Pradesh. He read out the 32-page long address on the floor of the House in the presence of Speaker Kodela Siva Prasad Rao, Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Leader of the Opposition YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and others.