Hyd on Delhi model, Chiru urges Sonia

He was representing all for Seemandhra ministers

New Delhi: Union Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi on Saturday called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi and urged her for according Union Territory status to Hyderabad in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) limits. This was explained to the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Telangana and now the same had been conveyed to Sonia Gandhi, he said.

Chiranjeevi represented all the Union Ministers from Seemandhra region; many of them could not make it as it was a weekend. Chiranjeevi articulated the common demand of all the Union Ministers from Seemandhra. Hyderabad should be made Union Territory during the period when it serves as the common capital, to start with. Later, it can be considered whether it is to be continued. All the Union Ministers from Seemandhra have been unanimous in their demand for Union Territory status for Hyderabad.

Explaining why the insistence on Union Territory status for Hyderabad, Chiranjeevi said Hyderabad was the centre for all the people of Seemandhra region. There was also the issue of their safety and security.

Fears have been expressed that if it was Union Territory, there would be no elected representatives. Allaying such fears, Chiranjeevi said there were two types of Union Territories. One is the Chandigarh model, where there are no elected representatives. The other is the Delhi model, where there are elected representatives. The Union Ministers from Seemandhra were asking for the Delhi model, he said, where there would be elected representatives.

Reacting to APNGOs president Ashok Babu, Chiranjeevi said, “We have resigned from our posts on grounds of our demands. Has Ashok Babu resigned for keeping Andhra Pradesh united?”