Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is unlikely to attend the Southern Zonal Council meeting to be presided by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Tirupati on Sunday.
At a press conference a few days ago, Mr. Rao had said “someone” will represent the government if he was not in a position to attend.
The meeting has been convened to sort out the pending issues between the southern States. The chief ministers of southern States as well as lieutenant governors of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep have been invited to attend the meeting. Mr. Shah will reach Tirupathi on Saturday and proceed to Nellore to attend a programme with Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu. He will participate in the Zonal Council meeting on Sunday and offer prayers at Tirumala next day before leaving for Delhi.
The meeting comes at a time when the State has upped its ante against the Central government for its alleged refusal to purchase paddy from farmers. The Chief Minister has launched a tirade against the Centre for its “indifferent attitude” towards the State’s repeated requests on purchase of paddy.
Minister for Home Mohammad Mahamood Ali is likely to attend the South Zonal Council meeting on behalf of Telangana.
The Chief Minister had not hidden his displeasure over the Central government’s attitude and asserted that his government would mount pressure on the Centre till it backtracks its decision.
According to the agenda of the previous meeting slated on March 4 at the same venue, the Southern Zonal Council was scheduled to discuss about the river water sharing issues between the southern States. The issue had been included in the agenda of the previous meeting especially after escalation of differences between Telangana and Karnataka over the construction of Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme and Nakkalagandi LIS to draw large quantity of remaining/surplus water from the foreshore of Srisailam reservoir.
Karnataka went ahead to launch a complaint with the Central government against Telangana’s plans and wanted the issue to be addressed on priority basis. Coming ahead of the meeting was the response of Union Water Resources Minister Gajendra Singh Shekawat to the criticism of the Telangana government over the delays in the constitution of new tribunal for redressal of grievances relating to the Krishna water.
