Will Seek Best Solution To TS-AP Water Issues: BJP

Union Minister for Labour & Employment Bandaru Dattareya today said that the Union government wanted a solution that was mutually beneficial to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in the long-drawn-out water and irrigation disputes between the two States.

After a meeting with Telangana Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao and advisor to the Union Ministry of Water Resources Vedire Sri Ram, Dattatreya said that the upcoming Apex Council meeting would be presided over by Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharti, and would be attended by the Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The meeting would aim to find a solution to the water disputes between the two States.

Dattatreya also said that the disputes should be treated sensitively and shouldn't be politicized. The Centre didn't want another situation resembling the Tamil Nadu - Karnataka spat, he said.

"The water dispute should have been resolved back when Andhra Pradesh was still united. But the then Congress regime was not willing to take any steps to solve it. The Party should also be blamed for the disputes between AP, Karnataka and Maharashtra in the past," he alleged.

The minister also said that the Telangana BJP leaders would soon meet the Prime Minister and request him to accord National Project Status to the Kaleshwaram project.