Date:13/12/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/12/13/stories/2003121304560400.htm

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad

Telugu Desam ready for debate on Telangana

By Our Special Correspondent

Hyderabad Dec. 12. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is prepared for a debate over the electronic media with the Congress on the question of development of Telangana region, the Home Minister, T. Devender Goud, said here today.

Speaking to presspersons, Mr. Goud, however, ruled out the question of engaging the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in such a debate, saying that the party was never in power and its leader, K. Chandrasekhar Rao, was always issuing statements aimed at "provoking'' people. He also rejected the suggestion for a public debate on the ground that political parties need not take their divergent opinions to the streets.

The Home Minister held that the TDP Government had made far greater budgetary allocations for the education, irrigation and power sectors than the Congress regimes in the past. The period under the rule of the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, was "a golden era'' for education with the Government sanctioning thousands of posts of teachers, setting up new schools and permitting the opening of private engineering and medical colleges. Telangana region had benefited from it most.

Refuting the allegation levelled by the Congress Working Committee member, Ghulam Nabi Azad, that TDP Governments were responsible for the backwardness of Telangana, he said the Congress leader knew nothing about the State. He said the region had undergone rapid transformation under the TDP rule.