Not fair to ask Andhra cabbies to leave Hyderabad: Pawan Kalyan

Andhra Pradesh deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan has urged taxi drivers in Hyderabad not to force their Andhra counterparts to quit the Telangana capital.

Campaigning for unity among the two Telugu speaking states, the actor-turned-politician has appealed to the Telangana government to take a humanitarian approach to the row among the cabbies.

Pawan Kalyan told the taxi drivers of Hyderabad that the displacement of their Andhra Pradesh counterparts would leave an estimated 2,000 families in economic distress.

Pawan backs Andhra cabbies

He extended his support to the drivers from Andhra Pradesh when some of them met and conveyed to him their problems.

Everyone should feel that both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are one, Pawan Kalyan added. “The unity of the people of both the Telugu states alone take us forward on the path of progress,” he asserted.

“I repeatedly say that Andhra Pradesh should follow the path of development because if the opportunities here grow, the migration from Andhra to Telangana will stop," he said.

Further, he added, “As a result, the people of Telangana will get more employment opportunities in various sectors.” He urged the cab drivers of Telangana to respond positively and cooperate with their brothers from Andhra Pradesh.

Cab drivers' complaints

The cab drivers complained that they were being stopped from operating in Hyderabad. They said the cab drivers in Hyderabad were harassing them and asking them to leave the city.

The Andhra cabbies also said they were being told to pay life tax on their vehicles again as Hyderabad had ceased to be the joint capital of the two states.

The Telangana drivers allege that their business was hurt due to the presence of the drivers from Andhra Pradesh in Hyderabad, an IT hub.