<p>Amid the turmoil rocking Andhra Pradesh over Telangana state, widely respected Congress veteran and Union Tribal Affairs Minister Kishore Chandra Deo has come up with a proposal to split the state into three—one for each region—and make Hyderabad a Union Territory with partial statehood, on the Delhi model.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Deo, a five-time MP from the Coastal Andhra region, suggested formation of Telangana, Rayalaseema and Andhra states, as the three regions are distinctly divided geographically and culturally. “The only solution in the present situation is to trifurcate the state. This will assuage the feelings of all three regions and will offer a permanent solution,” he said in a letter to the A K Antony Committee constituted by the Congress to address the concerns of the people in the wake of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) decision to bifurcate the state. <br /><br />He also suggested that the coastal city of Visakhapatnam be made the new capital of Andhra state.<br /><br />On Hyderabad, which is a major bone of contention between the proponents and opponents of Telangana statehood, Deo suggested that the cosmopolitan city be made a Union Territory with partial statehood. <br /><br />“I made this suggestion about two years ago, but it was not considered. I had also proposed an economic package for the development of backward regions of Telangana and formation of Telangana Development Council with a Cabinet rank for its chairman. But, there was no response,” said the Congress veteran.<br /><br />“The trifurcation will bring parity in the number of Lok Sabha seats,” he argued. <br />Of the total 42 Lok Sabha seats in AP, Telangana and Coastal Andhra account for 17 each, while Rayalaseema has eight seats. “With eight Lok Sabha seats, Rayalaseema will still be a larger state than Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Puducherry, Tripura, Sikkim and other north-eastern states,” he said.<br /><br />The Union minister criticised both Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief Botsa Satyanarayana for failing to raise above their narrow political interests in finding a solution to the Telangana problem.<br /><br />“It is unfair and mischievous that the chief minister and APCC chief are openly accusing MPs and Union ministers from Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema in order to cover up their selfish and ulterior motives.</p>
<p>Amid the turmoil rocking Andhra Pradesh over Telangana state, widely respected Congress veteran and Union Tribal Affairs Minister Kishore Chandra Deo has come up with a proposal to split the state into three—one for each region—and make Hyderabad a Union Territory with partial statehood, on the Delhi model.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Deo, a five-time MP from the Coastal Andhra region, suggested formation of Telangana, Rayalaseema and Andhra states, as the three regions are distinctly divided geographically and culturally. “The only solution in the present situation is to trifurcate the state. This will assuage the feelings of all three regions and will offer a permanent solution,” he said in a letter to the A K Antony Committee constituted by the Congress to address the concerns of the people in the wake of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) decision to bifurcate the state. <br /><br />He also suggested that the coastal city of Visakhapatnam be made the new capital of Andhra state.<br /><br />On Hyderabad, which is a major bone of contention between the proponents and opponents of Telangana statehood, Deo suggested that the cosmopolitan city be made a Union Territory with partial statehood. <br /><br />“I made this suggestion about two years ago, but it was not considered. I had also proposed an economic package for the development of backward regions of Telangana and formation of Telangana Development Council with a Cabinet rank for its chairman. But, there was no response,” said the Congress veteran.<br /><br />“The trifurcation will bring parity in the number of Lok Sabha seats,” he argued. <br />Of the total 42 Lok Sabha seats in AP, Telangana and Coastal Andhra account for 17 each, while Rayalaseema has eight seats. “With eight Lok Sabha seats, Rayalaseema will still be a larger state than Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Puducherry, Tripura, Sikkim and other north-eastern states,” he said.<br /><br />The Union minister criticised both Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief Botsa Satyanarayana for failing to raise above their narrow political interests in finding a solution to the Telangana problem.<br /><br />“It is unfair and mischievous that the chief minister and APCC chief are openly accusing MPs and Union ministers from Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema in order to cover up their selfish and ulterior motives.</p>
