KCR’s AP Remark Upsets Chandrababu

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu remarked that he was pained by his Telangana counterpart, K. Chandrashekhar Rao's observation that Andhra Pradesh is no match to Telangana.

That he was squirming with displeasure over KCR's remarks became obvious on day two of the Collectors' Conference here. Referring to Andhra Pradesh, he said that the state faced problems and its per capita income came down among states in south India, mainly because of the problems following bifurcation of the state.

Chandrababu said that if the per capita income of the state goes up by 35,000, Andhra Pradesh would be on par with neighbouring states. On the issue of central assistance to the state, he said that there could be no compromise on the matter.

The Centre will have to support Andhra Pradesh till such time as the state matches other states and added that he would go to the Supreme Court if required.

The AP Chief Minister ascribed the state's plight to the injustice done by the UPA government. Citizens from the state invested heavily in Hyderabad because it was the capital city and to say therefore, that people from Andhra had plundered Telangana was wrong, he added.

It may be recalled that in the 'India Today South Conclave-2018' KCR had remarked that Telangana had always been a wealthy state even before it was merged with the Andhra region. KCR said that the state did not merit comparison with AP and that it was way ahead of the TDP-ruled state in many spheres.