Hyderabad: The Centre will most probably not intervene in the prolonged Eamcet tussle between Telangana state and Andhra Pradesh as Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday categorically stated that the Centre would only help find an amicable solution to the issue if both states desired so.

While AP HRD minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao had urged the Centre to intervene, the TS government is not interested in taking the issue to New Delhi. Sources in the TS government said they didn’t see the need to approach the Centre.

Mr Ganta Srinivasa Rao had met Union home minister Rajnath Singh and Mr Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday in the national capital to discuss the issue. However, Mr Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said that the Governor was the appropriate institution to solve any problem arising between the two states.

He said the Centre should intervene only when both states approached it, seeking a solution to break the deadlock. “We can’t intervene. Governor or the home minister can intervene in these issues, but it can’t be one-sided. Both arguments should be heard and weighed. And both should approach the Centre seeking a solution. Otherwise it could lead to a bigger problem,” said Mr Naidu.

He also said that Mr Singh would be briefed by him again. This categorically means that the Centre will not step in to resolve the issue unless the TS government too desires so. And that hasn’t happened until now.

Sources in the TS government say they “have no explicit need to go to the Centre seeking a solution.” TS education minister G. Jagadish Reddy has reiterated that the government will conduct a separate or common Eamcet. “Our decision is as per the Reorganisation Act. Why should we go to the Centre and ask them to intervene when we don’t have a problem? AP government thinks there is a problem. They can easily agree to a common Eamcet conducted by TS government and the issue will be closed. We are totally going by the Reorganisation Act,” sources said.

The TS government is, however, open to the idea of an Eamcet conducted by it for this year and the Centre can decide on subsequent years. Mr Naidu also remarked that the Eamcet issue should have been resolved by the governor but “unfortunately that hasn’t happened.” Though the last joint meeting between counterparts Mr Jagdish Reddy and Mr Ganta Srinivasa Rao ended inconclusively, both had promised to revert to Governor Mr Narasimhan after consulting their respective Chief Ministers.

TS dispels fears about foul play with Andhra students:

Despite their long-running feud over the Eamcet, the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments may end up holding separate entrance tests, insiders in both camps said. Both sides are accusing each other of violating the AP Reorganisation Act while wanting to conduct the Eamcet by themselves for both states.

While the Telangana government appears to be resolute in its stance, the Andhra Pradesh government is trying to rope the Centre into the battle. The Andhra Pradesh government has threatened to take the legal route to preserve its hold over the test but sources said its standing counsel has, in fact, advised against taking the issue to the courts. Insiders in the AP State Council of Higher Education also feel that separate Eamcets for both states is the best way forward and will happen eventually.

“Whatever rhetoric both states are spouting, it appears separate Eamcets will happen this year itself. The government is on the offensive so we have to follow their directive. It is clearly a politically motivated issue which is being dragged on unnecessarily,” said an official with the APSCHE.

The Andhra Pradesh government feels that allowing the Telangana government any control over the Eamcet would lead to a loss of opportunities for Andhra Pradesh students. But Telangana government has been quick to dispel any such fears.