Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday said the two Telugu states — Telangana and Andhra Pradesh — should not compete with each other but work in understanding to develop and grow to the level of competing at the world level.
Addressing the 12th World Telugu Federation’s biennial conference here, he emphasised the need for a change in the mindset of those who think there was competition between the two Telugu states. “We should work together to develop and emerge as model states not only in the country but at the global level. If there are issues between the two states, they can be settled through talks. When the issues between two warring countries can be settled through talks, why not between two states,” Revanth said.
AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who participated in the inaugural, also said both Telugu states should develop. Telangana CM Revanth Reddy graced the concluding day on Sunday. Union minister G Kishan Reddy and former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu also participated in the conference on the second and third day, respectively.
On his part, Revanth said Telugu was the second most spoken language in the country after Hindi. Over 18 crore people speak Telugu. “Our Telugu people are found in almost every state and every country,” he added.
The Telugu people went for jobs to various countries and states, and many of them excelled in various sectors. “I invite them to come back as investors and industrialists to invest in Hyderabad and Telangana. They can become partners in Telangana govt’s plans to make Hyderabad a global city by not only investing their wealth but also their knowledge,” the CM said.
“With the slogan of Telangana Rising, the govt is preparing a 2050 master plan, aiming for huge investments and developments in the next 25 years to make Hyderabad a truly global city that can compete with New York and Tokyo,” he added.
On promoting Telugu and requests made by the organisers, Revanth said he would direct the Telangana Education Commission to look into them, and every possible step to promote the language and culture would be taken up in the state. The CM also released a book, ‘Telugu Danam, Telugu Dhanam’, at the conference.
Despite Telugu being the second most spoken language in the country and Telugu people excelling in almost all sectors in various states and countries, the role of Telugu people in national politics is diminishing. “When we look back, we see the role played in national politics by Telugu leaders like Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, PV Narasimha Rao, NT Rama Rao. Later, Kaka G Venkat Swamy, S Jaipal Reddy, Venkaiah Naidu, N Chandrababu Naidu, and YS Rajasekhar Reddy. We are not able to play an influential role in national politics presently, and we all need to think about this and plan accordingly,” Revanth said.
