Naidu worries about national integration if Andhra splits

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu raised concerns here Wednesday about national integration if the centre went ahead with its unilateral decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh.

He said progress could be achieved only with the consent of the states, otherwise there would be no federalism and it could create problems about national integration.

"This is how our forefathers have written in the Constitution of India. We are a mature democracy and the largest one. The centre must take the states into confidence. But, the centre is violating all this and that is not correct," he told mediapersons here.

Naidu was in Mumbai to meet Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray who is also a strong opponent of division of states, including the demand for a separate state of Vidarbha in Maharashtra.

Drawing comparisons between the TDP and the Shiv Sena, Naidu pointed out that both parties were formed to safeguard the self respect of the people of their respective states.

"With the bifurcation, the centre will have to satisfy both regions -- for Telangana, they must convince the Seemandhra people and for keeping the state united, they will need to convince the Telangana people," he said, demanding an amicable solution to the contentious issue.

However, the Congress was not in a position to convince even its own members on the issue of giving "equal justice" to the people of both Telangana and Seemandhra, he said.

He alleged "match-fixing" between the Congress, YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi on the issue which compelled the TDP to approach Thackeray for support.

"Without consulting, the centre unilaterally wants to impose these things... We are opposed to that and that is why we want Shiv Sena's support," Naidu said.

On his part, Thackeray said Naidu explained the entire issue and his party's stance in detail with which the Shiv Sena concurred.

"We have always opposed the Congress policy of divide-and-rule... The centre has created this fight among the Telugu people. It has escalated to such an extent that it could lead to division of minds too," Thackeray said.

This is the second meeting between the Shiv Sena and the TDP leaders on this issue in the past few months as both do not want their respective states to be divided into smaller ones.