Denial of political space to Telangana people led to Andhra division: Reddy

Denial of political space to the people of Telangana for long led to bifurcation of And-hra Pradesh,Congress leader and National Disaster Management Authority vice-chairman M Shashidhar Reddy said. He said Hyderabad would continue to be a bone of contention since people from across the state,not just Telangana,had contributed to its development. Reddy admitted given the reaction to the bifurcation in Seemandhra,Congress prospects in the region dont look very good in the coming elections.

The Union Cabinet approved creation of a Telangana state this month,sparking massive protests in Seemandhra. The Cabinet said Hyderabad would be a joint capital for 10 years. I have always maintained the focus should be on development of Telangana. Had greater political space been given to the people of Telangana if someone from there had been made the chief minister or PCC chief things would have been different. The entire political space was given to Seemandhra, Reddy said.

Son of former AP CM M Channa Reddy said bifurcation was a complicated issue. And as it turns out,it has become a complicated issue. In Telangana,to what extent anti-incumbency works against the Congress remains to be seen, Reddy said. The Sanathnagar MLA said there was a feeling among some people that the bifurcation could have been avoided had the focus been on addressing the needs of Telangana. He said the sort of issues raised by the TRS had created fear among the people of Seemandhra.