Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and others called on President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Nilayam here today. The visit of Kiran Kumar, a vocal opponent of division of the state, is said to be a courtesy call.
Besides the Chief Minister, both sides of the regional divide over the bifurcation also called on the President. TDP MLAs from Seemandhra and Rayalaseema, who met Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Nilayam in Bolarum here, urged him to stop the process of bifurcation, alleging that the decision to divide the state was taken with political considerations, said party MLA D Narendra.
TRS leaders, including MP G Vivek, who are rooting for formation of Telangana, also met the President, official sources said.
Mukherjee arrived here on December 19 for his customary winter sojourn and will stay at Rashtrapati Nilayam till December 31.
He visited Tamil Nadu and Kerala last week on several engagements, including unveiling of a statue of former Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran. Mukherjee would visit Ananatapur district tomorrow.
Rashtrapati Nilayam is one of the two official retreats of the President, the other being ‘The Retreat Building' in Shimla.
It is customary for the President to visit Rashtrapati Nilayam and stay there at least once a year and conduct official business from there.
Located at Bolarum in Secunderabad, the 11-room single-storey building spread over 90 acres, which houses the Rashtrapati Nilayam, was handed over to the President's Secretariat after the erstwhile state of Hyderabad was liberated from the Nizam.
The President had referred the draft AP Reorganisation Bill-2013 to the state legislature and is presently under the consideration of both the Houses. The draft legislation has to be returned to the President by January 23.
