New Delhi, November 30
Ahead of the special Cabinet meeting next week to finalise the modalities for the formation of Telangana state, serious differences have surfaced among Cabinet Ministers from Andhra Pradesh over the status of Hyderabad as the joint capital. Senior most Union Minister from Seemandhra region, KC Deo, has rejected the joint capital move. In his representation to the Group of Ministers, Deo demanded either the merger of Rayalaseema districts with Telangana state or separate statehood for Rayalaseema too.

In his letter to the GOM, Deo said, “I strongly resent the idea of a common capital in a divided state. The suggestion is obnoxious, without rationale and deserves to be rejected.”

KS Rao, another Union Minister from Seemandhra, is also against the idea of a joint capital. Six other Cabinet ministers, including HRD Minister MM Pallam Raju and K Chiranjeevi, from the region are okay with Hyderabad being made the joint capital of the two states with a UT status.

“Once the state is divided, there’s no merit in the argument of a common capital. Why should anyone travel miles from residual Andhra to reach Hyderabad? I’ve told the panel to consider Vishakhapatman as the capital of residual Andhra due to land availability and ample connectivity there,” said Deo.

Sources said some top Congress leaders are pushing for Ongole or Vijaywada as capital of residual Andhra.

Deo also wants merger of four districts of Rayalaseema with Telangana state or separate statehood for these districts. His argument — like Telangana districts, Rayalaseema districts are part of the old state of the Nizam and historically it would make sense to merge them.

Politically, too, the merger would benefit the Congress considering all its current challengers in Andhra — TDP’s Chandrababu Naidu, YSR Congress’ Jagan Reddy and Andhra CM Kiran Kumar Reddy are from Rayalaseema.