[1]Stirring up a controversy, Telugu Desam leader Byr-eddy Rajasekhar Reddy launched his four-day ‘Rayalaseema Melukolupu' deeksha on Saturday in Kurnool, demanding a separate Rayalaseema if Telangana is carved out as a state. “Either the state should be united or trifurcated,” he said. Mr Reddy’s deeksha comes close on the heels of the Centre’s decision to provide special status to six backward districts in Karnataka bordering the Telangana region, and speculation about an imminent decision on statehood for Telangana.
Quick to condemn the deeksha, Congress and TRS leaders from Telan-gana region alleged that it was scripted and masterminded by TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu to derail the T-process. Mr Reddy, who launched the deeksha after performing milk abhisekham to the statue of Sri Krishna Devaraya at Kurnool, remarked, “We are not opposed to Telangana. Let them have their own state. (But) why should they oppose Rayalaseema, which is the most backward region in the state and worse than Somalia?”
Denying allegations that his party chief was behind the deeksha, he said the people of Rayalaseema have to protect themselves if Telangana is separated from AP. “If the Centre decides to bifurcate AP, Rayalaseema should also be made a separate state. Those who talk about Rayala-Telangana are maniacs,” he alleged. “We don’t want to live at the mercy of the people of Telangana or Andhra.”
Mr Reddy also disputed claims that Rayalaseema’s statehood is not a feasible demand. He said it has an area larger than Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and 12 other states, and is bigger than many countries.
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