Hyderabad: TRS leader K Chandrasekhar Rao has stirred the hornet’s nest by warning the people from Seemandhra who opt to work in Telangana that they will face consequences. “Telangana employees should work for Telangana and Seemandhra employees for Seemandhra. I have been saying that from the beginning. But those presumably with more wisdom disagreed,” Rao said.
“How can a Telangana government, with a Telangana chief minister and a Telangana chief secretary have people from Seemandhra working for them? Does it make any sense at all? If they still insist and force some 50 Seemandhra employees on us, we won’t let them inside the gates of the Secretariat. Or we will transfer them to some god-forsaken place,” Rao thundered to cheers from the audience.
On June 2, Andhra Pradesh will be formally bifurcated to create India’s 29th state of Telangana. With the division drawing close, such statements are being seen as divisive and creating fear.
Sharat Chandra, a section officer from Seemandhra, whose wife works as a deputy director with the government says, “After 15 years here, my wife and I both decided to go to Seemandhra because of controversial and hostile atmosphere here. What should families where children have grown up here and have nativity here do, if the parents are technically natives of Seemandhra? Families will be split just the way the state has been.”
Chinni Krishna, a government employee from Seemandhra says KCR is only adding to the emotional divide between employees of the two regions.Â
“No Seemandhra employee is willing to work in this place. 90 per cent would any way opt to go back. But even the 10 per cent who wanted to be here for some specific reason, would now rethink, considering they are not going to be made to feel welcome,” Mr Krishna said.
An official committee set up for the division has sought information on nativity but an option to make a choice is meant to be given to employees.
Post-bifurcation, political leaders are expected to behave like statesmen, providing the healing touch. But statements like these only add salt to sounds, to ensure no healing happens soon.