Prime minister Manmohan Singh is said to have expressed regrets over police not allowing Rajya Sabha member V Hanumantha Rao and labour minister Danam Nagender to meet him during his visit to the blast site at Dilsukhnagar.
Manmohan Singh is also understood to have reprimanded National Security Guards (NSG) chief K Durga Prasad for his staff ‘misbehaving’ with Hanumantha Rao and Nagender. Hanumantha Rao and Nagender, along with AICC general secretary Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy and LB Nagar MLA D Sudheer Reddy, were not allowed to join the entourage of the prime minister, during his visit to the sites of the twin bomb blasts.
When Rao and Nagender tried to join the prime minister by crossing the barricades at the site of blasts at Dilsukhnagar, the security personnel posted there did not allow them, citing security reasons.
Rao and Nagender picked up an argument with them, but they did not pay any heed and tried to whisk the duo away. Following this, Rao said he had shouted at chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy who was there, saying, “What is this chief minister garu..? The police are not allowing us who hail from Hyderabad, to join the prime minister ji. Is it fair?”
When Rao was shouting, the PM saw him and asked, “Oh, Hanuman, what happened?” Then Rao replied, “Sir, you have come here to console the victims of the bomb blasts all the way from Delhi. It is my duty being the local MP from Hyderabad to receive you and join you. But, here the police are not allowing us. Moreover, they are whisking us away with ropes. If an MP is treated like this, what message will go to the local people sir?” Speaking to Express, Rao claimed that the pm said, “Hanuman.. I am sorry for this.”
“When a towering personality like Manmohan said sorry for the excess of the police, I found no words to reply. So, I came back without saying anything. Though police were rough with me, the prime minister showed his big heart by expressing regrets for the incident.” Meanwhile, Danam Nagender too complained against NSG chief Durga Prasad to the prime minister, alleging that Prasad had tried to whisk him and Rao away.