'True successor to Nizam' Telangana stakes claim to Delhi's Andhra Bhavan

Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has written to Union home minister Rajnath Singh claiming that the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi belongs to his new state on the grounds that Telangana is the legitimate successor of the Nizam of Hyderabad, to whom the property originally belonged.

Rao's letter explained that the Nizam had purchased 18.18 acres of land in Delhi from the government of India in three phases in 1917, 1928 and 1939, to build Hyderabad House and the present Andhra Pradesh Bhavan, including a Telangana Bhavan.

Later, the government of India took over Hyderabad House for diplomatic purposes from Andhra Pradesh, in exchange for 7.56 acres of land in Pataudi House and 1.21 acres in the Nursing Institute.

Rao pointed out that Hyderabad province remained a separate entity till 1956, even after it was merged with the Indian Union post-Independence, says the Hindustan Times.

He wrote: "The Andhra state did not exist then, as it was carved out of the erstwhile Madras state in October 1953 only. In November 1956, it was merged with the Telugu-speaking areas of the Hyderabad state to create Andhra Pradesh."

Rao asked the home minister to transfer the entire property of the AP Bhavan to Telangana state, and give Andhra Pradesh land for its own bhavan. He also said that Telangana would give monetary compensation to the AP government, since the buildings on the Nizam's land were constructed by the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh.