Congress will not prevent extension of Hyderabad as Joint capital for more years, only BRS can do: Harish Rao

He said Hyderabad would now be the dedicated capital of Telangana State only.

Hyderabad: BRS leader and former Minister T Harish Rao said on Saturday that there was clamour in certain quarters to have Hyderabad serve as the joint capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for an extended period and it would be an issue of concern.

Addressing a meet-the-press organized at the Basheerbagh Press Club here, he said as per the State Reorganization Act, the city would be completing the 10-year period as the joint capital by June this year. From then, Hyderabad would be the dedicated capital of Telangana only. AP was given ten years to establish its governance infrastructure. Further extension of the joint capital status would not be in the interest of the Telangana, he felt.

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Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, with his interests tucked deep in Andhra Pradesh, might play into the hands of the AP leadership, Harish Rao said, adding that Revanth Reddy would cooperate with the AP leadership on this count at the cost of Telangana. This was the time when the need for strong representation for the State in Parliament by the Bharat Rasthra Samithi was felt.

He stressed that the BRS was the only party that had been safeguarding the interests of Telangana by all means and the party leadership would continue its mission with the same commitment. The people of the State were no longer prepared to rely on the Congress party with crucial issues such as the status of Hyderabad, which were due for a final decision. Holding both the Congress and BJP squarely responsible for the loss of seven revenue mandals of the erstwhile Khammam district that were ceded to Andhra Pradesh even after bifurcation, he said the Congress party could not absolve itself of the setback caused to the new State.

He recalled that Congress was the signatory to the merger of the seven mandals of Telangana with Andhra Pradesh, much against the wishes of the people of Telangana. The BRS leadership had fought a lone battle against the merger of the seven mandals with Andhra Pradesh. The Congress Party, which was now ruling the State 10 years after bifurcation, cannot be expected to correct the historic blunder committed by it, he said, adding that the BRS, by winning a significant number of seats in the Lok Sabha elections, would be able to ensure that the voice of Telangana was heard to prevent any such extension.