Cooperate for ‘T’, Seemandhras told

Warangal: The desire of separate Telangana is older than the concept of united Andhra Pradesh, said Minister for Information Technology and Services Ponnala Lakshmaiah.

He recalled that the people in the Telangana region, even after the merger with Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, never quit their aspirations of living separately. Hence, they are still longing to live separately and to preserve the identity of Telangana. Therefore, the Seemandhra leaders, who were opposing separate Telangana, should understand the sentiment of Telangana people, the minister explained.

Even after the Telangana region aligned with the Indian Union in 1948 it was an independent body until 1956. The people and leaders strongly opposed the merger of the region with Andhra and launched agitations. The merger of Telangana with Andhra was achieved by means of allurements and assurances such as Gentlemen’s Agreement and other pacts. But the people in Telangana never quit their desire to live separately, Mr. Lakshmaiah recalled.