Rosaiah calls on Andhra parties to help restore calm

Hyderabad/New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K. Rosaiah Thursday appealed to all political parties to help restore normalcy in the state where an agitation over the proposed division of the state had paralysed public life over the last 20 days.

Addressing a news conference, he admitted that the massive protests for the last 20 days had hit the state's economy hard and affected revenue. "When there is no business, how will the revenues come," he asked.

The protests, first in Telangana for separate statehood and now in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema against the centre's decision to initiate the process for formation of Telangana state, have caused serious difficulties.

Transport affected

Rosaiah advised all the parties to conduct their protests in a peaceful and democratic manner without disrupting public life.

"The government is facing severe difficulties. Road transport has been badly hit. Both passenger and goods traffic are affected. The educational institutions are closed," he said.

Claiming that the state administration had not collapsed and was doing its job, Rosaiah said all parties and people should cooperate.

He noted that works under National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP) were also hit by the protests. "The poor are the worst hit. They are not getting the wages and on the other side, prices of essential commodities are going up," he said.

Rosaiah said the central government was aware of the Telangana issue and it would take a final decision. "There is nothing in our hands. It is for the centre to take the decision," he said.

A separate Telangana state was a commitment given by the Congress and the leadership has already initiated the process, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told a delegation of the party's MPs and legislators arguing for a united Andhra Pradesh.

The MPs and legislators opposing a Telangana state met Mukherjee and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal at Parliament House.