Union Minister K Chiranjeevi on Thursday reiterated his demand that Hyderabad be made a Union Territory.
Participating in the debate on Telangana Bill in Rajya Sabha, Chiranjeevi said that Hyderabad should be made a Union Territory, at least for a period during which it would be the common capital for both Telangana and residual Andhra Pradesh on the lines of Chandigarh. He said that people of Seemandhra were emotionally and materialistically bonded with Hyderabad. Therefore, the demand for UT status for Hyderabad should be accepted.
Chiranjeevi also demanded that Centre should provide special financial package for Seemandhra.
Chiranjeevi alleged that crores of Telugus were being deprived of their rights in an unfair manner. He slammed the process which was adopted for bifurcating Andhra Pradesh and described it as very unfortunate. He said all steps were taken in haste. He said a State could not be divided causing pain to its people. He said that the Srikrishna Committee's recommendation to keep the State united was ignored.
He accused all the parties, especially the TRS and BJP of pressuring the Congress party on Telangana issue. He also accused them of inciting youth which drove them to suicide. He said although the Congress party was the last to announce its decision, everyone was shocked when the CWC decided in favour of dividing the State. He also alleged that the Group of Ministers (GoM) did not accommodate the concerns expressed by Seemandhra leaders. He criticised the way the Bill was passed in Lok Sabha without having any discussion.
Chiranjeevi said that the Congress alone could not be blamed for Telagnana decision. He said that the BJP did not honour its promise on Telangana formation when NDA was in power. Similarly, TDP favoured Telangana and later went back on its stand. He alleged that TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu was not having clarity on the issue and he must explain what he meant by "equal justice". He said that it was the YSR Congress Party which suggested division under Article 3 of the Constitution and later took a U-turn.
Chiranjeevi said that Telugu people would be the losers if the State was divided. However, he said that the damage could be minimised if Hyderabad was made the Union Territory.