CHENNAI: Coming on board the 14-party political formation put together by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin solely to ensure ‘fair delimitation’ for the seven better-performing states, senior BRS leader KT Rama Rao on Saturday advised the BJP-led union government to strive to heal old wounds and not create new ones.
Wary of the BJP’s likely interpretation of the meeting as ‘anti-India’, Rama Rao said, “We are Indians first. As Indians and sub-identity as Telangana and Telugu, we also want our voices to be heard. We certainly are opposed to the tyranny of the majority and to India being converted into a mobocracy and not a democracy.
Talking to media persons after the JAC meeting, Rama Rao said, “If India truly is to break its shackles and become an economic superpower by 2047, cooperative federalism, and not coercive federalism, must become the order of the day.” Pointing out that Telangana, which accounted for only 2.8% of the Indian population, contributed 5.2% to India’s GDP, the BRS leader said, “But, if you are going to reduce our number, it will be a travesty of justice.” He insisted that population alone cannot be the criteria for delimitation.