The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has been advocating state’s division, has come out with a booklet stating how Andhra and Rayalaseema will develop in the event of a separate Telangana state being created.
The party has already campaigned in the two regions highlighting the advantages of Andhra and Rayalaseema becoming a separate entity. To push its two-state theory, the BJP brought out a booklet “Pragatiki Sopaanam – Pratyeka Seemandhra”.
The benefits Seemandhra people would get after the division of the state were listed in the booklet as follows: The separate Seemandhra state will be a fitting tribute to around 400 martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the Jai Andhra Movement in 1972.
The availability of state capital within their area would save time and money on travelling. A New High Court in the vicinity will help litigants as well as advocates. Setting up of new Central universities will help students to pursue higher education. The youths will get access to technical education at their native places due to setting up of IIT, NIT, IIM, IISC and other premier institutions.
Development of film industry will be possible with the setting up of new studios and thousands will get employment. Lakhs of people will get employment with the development of 1,000-km-long coastal area. Seemandhra can compete with Chennai and Mumbai with the development of minor and major ports. Creation of new districts will also be possible in a new state, which will take administration closer to people. A superspeciality hospital can be constructed on the lines of NIMS and Osmanian in Hyderabad.
IT industries can be developed in Anantapur and Chittoor districts, which are very close to Bangalore and Chennai cities. New districts like Nandyala, Tirupati, Puttaparthi and Proddatur can be created in Rayalaseema.
Rayalaseema which has several religious tourist spots can be developed as a tourist hub and big employment potential can be created. In a nutshell, division of the state will ensure faster development of Seemandhra and Telangana states.
“The objective of the book is to dispel the notion that Seemandhra region will stand to lose if Telangana is formed, which is actually the reason for its opposition to Telangana demand. The oppositioni to bifurcation is based largely on misinformation. If information is given properly it will bring peace to both the regions,” BJP state president G Kishan Reddy said.
Kishan Reddy further stated that the ongoing agitation for a separate Telangana has seemingly created a psychological divide between the peoples of the two regions. “The issue of separate Telangana has been there for more than half a century. Similarly, the Andhra region also had Jai Andhra movement in the mid-seventies. Both the movements had evoked good response from the people,” Kishan Reddy pointed out. [Express News Service]