Hyderabad: Amid bitterness between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on various issues, the chief ministers of the two states came face to face yesterday.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu met for the first time since assuming office in June.
The occasion was receiving President Pranab Mukherjee at the old airport at Begumpet here. KCR, as Rao is popularly known, welcomed Naidu when he reached the airport. The chief ministers of the two Telugu-speaking states shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.
KCR introduced his two deputy chief ministers and other ministers to Naidu. The two leaders were seen engaged in cheerful talk along with E S L Narasimhan, the governor of the two states.
Naidu was seen patting his one-time confidante, who quit Telugu Desam Party in 2000 to float Telangana Rashtra Samithi to revive the movement for a separate Telangana state.
KCR had last month skipped an Iftar party hosted by the governor to avoid meeting Naidu. He also turned down an invitation to the swearing-in ceremony of Naidu.
The two states are locked in a bitter row over various issues, including merger of over 200 Telangana villages with Andhra Pradesh, sharing of electricity, division of employees and reimbursement of students’ fees.
IANS
