SA union ministers reiterate demand for UT status for Hyderabad

The Union Ministers from Seemandhra region on Wednesday demanded that Hyderabad be made a Union Territory on a permanent basis.

The ministers - D Purandeswari, MM Pallam Raju, K Chiranjeevi, Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy, JD Seelam, Panabaka Lakshmi and Killi Kruparani met their senior cabinet colleagues and members of Group of Ministers (GoM) P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh with their fresh demand. They demanded that if the division of Andhra Pradesh was inevitable, then Hyderabad shall be declared a permanent Union Territory. They also asked the ministers to set up a Committee to identify a suitable location for the new capital for residual Andhra Pradesh State.

Speaking to media persons later, Chiranjeevi condemned MIM President Asaduddin Owaisi's criticism to the demand of Union Territory status for Hyderabad. "When Owaisi can demand Rayala-Telangana, then can't we ask for UT status for Hyderabad?" he asked.