Hyderabad: People, including elected representatives from the villages spread over five Assembly segments from Telangana bordering Nanded district of Maharashtra were demanding their government to either implement the welfare schemes of the Telangana government in their villages or allow their villages to be merged with the Telangana State.
The people and elected representatives affiliated to several political parties have decided to contest the forthcoming Assembly polls with this demand. They informed the same to Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao whom they met on Tuesday afternoon and sought his support for their agitation. They said they are ready to contest polls on the TRS party tickets, if allotted.
Leaders from Nalgaon, Bhokar, Degloor, Kinwat and Hathgaon Assembly segments in Nanded district in Maharashtra State bordering Telangana called on Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on the Assembly premises. Under the leadership of Babli Sarpanch Babu Rao Ganapath Rao Kadam, who led the movement to merge the villages with the Telangana State, the leaders have expressed their anguish to KCR.
“Our villages are bordering the Telangana State. But the situation in our villages and in the Telangana State when compared are vast different and variant. People and farmers in the Telangana State villages bordering us are very happy while we are in distress. For farmers in Telangana State, each one was getting Rs 10,000 financial assistance per acre per year under the Rythu Bandhu Scheme.
“Our government was not implementing any scheme like this to our farmers. The poor people in Telangana State are getting Rs 2,016 per month as pension whereas in Maharashtra, they are getting a meagre Rs 600 only. In the Telangana State, the farmers are getting 24-hour uninterrupted free and quality power. In our State, we are promised 8-hour power supply but in reality, we are getting only 6 hours.
“There are matrimonial alliances between the Telangana State and Maharashtra State among the people. In the Telangana State, schemes like Kalyan Laxmi, KCR Kits and clothes distribution during the festivals are helping the womenfolk immensely. While in Maharashtra there are no such schemes. Roads are very good in Telangana State and they are in a sordid state in our State,” they told the CM.
“We are facing dire straits with regard to water for irrigation. There is no water in Babli village itself! When Telangana government fills SRSP through water from the Kaleswaram Project, we get some benefit through the backwaters”, the leaders from Nanded district explained. Though the villages are geographically placed next to each other, there was a vast difference in villages in Telangana State and in Maharashtra State.
They said that in the past, 40 villages in the Dharmabad Taluk passed a resolution demanding their villages’ merger with the Telangana State. Responding to the resolution, the Maharashtra Government then declared Rs 40 crore grant for these villages and stated that they would be releasing Rs 12 crore immediately. But till date not even a Rupee was released, the leaders bemoaned.
“Against this backdrop, we are demanding that the Maharashtra State government implement the welfare schemes being implemented by the Telangana State. In case if the Maharashtra State government was not in a position to do so, we are demanding merger of our villages into Telangana State. We will agitate with this demand. We will contest the coming Assembly polls with this slogan. If KCR gives us an opportunity, we will contest on TRS tickets”, they declared.
The leaders from Nanded also clarified that under the then Nizam rule, they were part of the Hyderabad State. Till date, their land records verified based on the Khasra Pahanis and they also celebrate Bathukamma and Bonalu festivals in their villages even today. Since they have long and historic relationship with people in Telangana since ages, their demand for merger with the Telangana State is rational. They said soon they will come with leaders from Congress, BJP, Shiv Sena, NCP will here and will meet CM KCR.
A decision will be taken soon: KCR
After a patient hearing, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao said besides people from five Assembly segments from Nanded district, people from Bhiwandi, Sholapur and Rajara were also asking for TRS tickets to contest Assembly polls. KCR said a decision would be taken on this shortly. He also said the demand for the implementation of welfare schemes like in the Telangana State was rational and hoped that the Maharashtra government would accede to the demand.
NSS