Special category status to AP will impact TS: Gutha

Nalgonda: Telangana Rashtra Rythu Samanvaya Samithi Chairman and Nalgonda MP Gutha Sukender Reddy here on Wednesday said the State’s interest would be severely affected if special category status was granted to only Andhra Pradesh. He demanded that the same status be accorded to Telangana State.

Speaking to the media here, Sukender Reddy said he had taken to the notice of the Prime Minister that interest of Telangana State would be affected if special category status was given only to Andhra Pradesh.

The issue of granting special status to any State depended mostly on its backwardness, its distance away from ports, lack of access to trade or industry. Andhra Pradesh has a long coast line, fertile lands of Krishna and Godavari delta and more than five big cities, he pointed out. Except Hyderabad and Warangal, all other urban areas were small towns in Telangana State, he said.

Stating that industrialists would prefer investing in AP than Telangana State if special category status was accorded to the neighbouring State, Sukender Reddy gave the example of an industrialist, who had shown interest to set up bricks manufacturing unit at Kodad, decided to shift the unit to AP expecting that the State would be given special cateogy status.

Sukender Reddy said both the YSRCP and Congress were demanding special category status for AP only to gain political mileage. He criticised the Congress MPs for failing to raise their voice against the Centre reneging on the promises made to the Telangana State in the AP Reorganisation Act. MPP Rajitha, TRS town president Abbagoni Ramesh, TRS leader Perika Uma Maheshwar and others were present.