TRS urges president to axe proposed restrictions on Hyderabad

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Thursday urged President Pranab Mukherjee to lift all the restrictions proposed on Hyderabad in the bill for formation of separate Telangana state.

A delegation of TRS leaders led by party chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao called on the president here Thursday, seeking amendments to the bill.

TRS leader in Andhra Pradesh assembly E. Rajender told reporters after the meeting that they opposed certain powers proposed for the governor.

They demanded that the central government's relations with Telangana state should be no different from the relations with 28 existing states in the country.

The bill sent by the president to Andhra Pradesh assembly two weeks ago for its opinion, has proposed that the governor would be responsible for maintaining law and order in Hyderabad, which will serves as common capital of Telangana and residuary state of Andhra Pradesh for 10 years.

The TRS leaders conveyed to the president that people of Telangana were opposed to any restrictions on Hyderabad. They also demanded that justice be done to the government employees of Telangana.

Another TRS leader Harish Rao said they informed the president that legislators from Seemandhra (Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra) were deliberately stalling debate on the bill. He said it was a conspiracy to prevent any debate in the assembly.

The state assembly is likely to discuss Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill 2013 from Jan 3. The president has asked the assembly to return the bill with its views by Jan 23.

The TRS is demanding that the bill be amended before it is tabled in parliament.