Can Seemandhra, Telangana MPs join hands for Andhra?

Clearly deviating from an atmosphere of no love lost till a couple of days back, there now seems to be a conscious effort from political leaders of both Seemandhra and Telangana to unite the Telugu people, in the wake of the passage of the Telangana bill. A clear realisation has dawned that there need to be an end to this division among the people if both the states were to prosper. “Once it was passed in Lok Sabha I already knew there was no stopping to it. Now it is the time to work for the unity of the Telugu people and prosper jointly. I was never against Telugu people but with the manner it was done,” former Congress MP Lagadapati Rajagopal told CNN-IBN. Rajagopal came to the fore recently for using pepper spray inside the Lok Sabha which was seen by many as act of complete disregard to the sanctity of Parliament. [caption id=“attachment_1401175” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  TRS activists celebrate after the passage of Telangana Bill in the Rajya Sabha, in Hyderabad on Thursday. PTI[/caption] “There are deep wounds that have been created and should be healed. The scars should be erased,” Rajagopal said explaining how the struggle between Telangana and Seemandhra had taken a heavy toll on the Telugu people as a whole. Telangana Rashtriya Samithi MLA KT Rama Rao expressed happiness over the creation of Telangana and thanked all the political parties who supported the bill. “Most people considered it a mission impossible. We are eternally thankful to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and BJP leader Sushma Swaraj. I would also like to thank Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati and others. It is definitely a once in a life time moment and I am happy to be around,” Rao told CNN-IBN. “The world’s largest democracy should celebrate Telangana. It also makes it clear that if a demand is made in a democratic way however big it may be it gets fulfilled,” he said. The TRS leader said that there should not be vehement opposition to the creation of new states just based on the fear that newer demands might crop up or in the apprehension that it will lead to unfathomable situations. “Back in 2003 when the National Democratic Alliance formed three states neither did the heavens fall down nor did the earth shatter. If the demands are constitutional they should be fulfilled accordingly,” he said. But Rao admitted that reasons behind the creation of Telangana were also very much political and the parties would reap benefit out of it. “There is no wrong if political dividends are gained by Congress and BJP when they had put in such an effor towards the creation of the state. What is wrong with it? There is a political angle and there is no hiding about it,” Rao said. The TDP leader also extended a friendly hand towards the people of Seemandhra. “I am happy that the Union government conceded and agreed to give Seemandhra a large financial package. And Rajagopal need not worry at all about his safety or for that matter about the safety of any person of Seemandhra residing in Telangana. Leaders like Rajagopal need to stay in politics and help the new state grow,” Rao said in an appeal to the former MP as he had announced earlier that he will leave politics if Telangana bill was cleared by Parliament. However, the Congress leader planned to charter a different path altogether away from politics. “I am never concerned about my own safety. I resigned as MP yesterday and I am not going back to business. I will quit politics and will focus on social activities to end the bitterness among the Telugu people,” Rajagopal said.