Naidu admits BRS allegations: AP took Telangana mandals without consent

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has stirred a political controversy by admitting that he pressured the Centre in 2014 to merge seven mandals from Telangana with Andhra Pradesh, according to media reports. The statement has effectively validated long-standing allegations by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (then TRS) that the mandals were taken from Telangana without consensus and through non-transparent means.

Polavaram Project at centre

Naidu made the remarks while speaking at the Polavaram project site ahead of a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He framed the episode as an assertion of his political influence over the Centre.

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According to Naidu, he urged the then NDA government in 2014 to merge seven mandals of Telangana’s Khammam district with Andhra Pradesh to facilitate the Polavaram irrigation project. He claimed the project would not have been possible without the merger, as it would otherwise have required Telangana’s approval.

Naidu further asserted that he had “strong-armed” Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and M Venkaiah Naidu to ensure the merger by leveraging his political position.

“Without those seven mandals, Polavaram cannot be completed. Otherwise, we would have needed Telangana’s consent. So I insisted they be merged with Andhra Pradesh, or I would not take oath,” Telangana Today quoted him as saying.

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He also claimed that it was the first time in the country’s history that the government issued an ordinance and secured presidential approval even before Parliament convened after the elections.

BRS allegations gain fresh weight

While Naidu presented the episode as a political achievement, his statement has reinforced the BRS’s long-standing claim that the mandals were taken away from Telangana for political reasons. Several Telangana leaders have repeatedly demanded the return of the mandals, and Naidu’s remarks are expected to strengthen those demands.

The comments have also reignited the broader debate over the alteration of state boundaries between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — an issue that continues to remain politically sensitive in both states.