Hyderabad: At the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council (SZC) in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, on Thursday, August 20, Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka pitched for healthy competition among states along with cooperation. He spoke for a council that moves beyond discussion, towards decisions and implementation.
Union Minister for Home Amit Shah headed the SZC, which comprises Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Keralam, and Tamil Nadu, and the Union Territories of Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep.
Offering to host the next edition of the SZC in Telangana, Bhatti said, “If southern India grows together, India grows faster.”
He said his state’s stance was to defend its interests but also welcome solutions.
‘Fair resolution of inter-state issues’
Representing Telangana, Bhatti alluded to Mahabalipuram and said that a strong structure does not require every part to be identical; it requires every part to carry its share of the weight. He said India’s federal structure should be viewed in the same spirit. “A federation is not really tested when everyone agrees; it is tested when legitimate interests collide yet a fair way forward is found,” he said, adding that Telangana’s approach is to seek fair, time-bound, and legally sustainable resolution of inter-state issues.
Competition to co-exist with cooperation
He said that states naturally compete over investment, industry, jobs, and talent. However, many important issues do not respect state boundaries, such as rivers, power grids, workers, and businesses. “Problems cross borders faster than government files do,” he quipped.
He stressed the need to move from prolonged discussion towards final decisions and effective implementation, observing that disagreement itself is natural in a democracy; the real test is whether disagreement can be converted into a decision.
Speaking on Krishna waters, he said Telangana does not seek a special priviledge, it just wants a fair entitlement through the legal mechanisms already in place.
The allocation of Krishna waters between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh is already under consideration before KWDT-II, he said.
Bhatti also sought Central support for the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme for completion of the remaining work and to make the project operational.
Closure of pending Andhra Reorganisation issues
Bhatti noted that even 12 years after the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, issues between the two successor states remain unresolved. He said the state sought closure as per the Act so that both states can move forward. To that effect, he mentioned the
division of Schedule IX government companies and corporations, and the division of Schedule IX institutions, which continue to remain pending.
Telangana has already submitted its views concerning 23 Schedule IX institutions to the Ministry of Home Affairs, he pointed out, seeking an early settlement.
On bifurcation of Schedule X institutions, he said that the claims made by the Andhra Pradesh government are not supported by the Act and the matter is pending before the court.
Bhatti again sought a resolution through the legal process and in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
Among the attendees were Tamil Nadu, the host state’s CM, Joseph Vijay; the Karnataka CM, DK Shivakumar; the Andhra Pradesh CM, N Chandrababu Naidu; and the Keralam CM, VD Satheesan.
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