Furious with the state government for denying permission to their proposed ‘Peace Rally’ in Hyderabad on September 7, but giving clearance for the APNGOs ‘Save AP’ meeting at LB stadium in the city on the same day, Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) chairman M Kodandaram likened chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s rule to that of Hitler and Mussolini.
Addressing mediapersons at the Secretariat here on Wednesday, after meeting panchayat raj minister K Jana Reddy to bring pressure on Telangana ministers for obtaining permission for their peace rally or to get the permission to the APNGOs’ meeting cancelled, the TJAC chairman fumed at the chief minister.
“We have to move heaven and earth to get permission for our meetings or programmes on several occasions, but since it is his own meeting, the chief minister deemed it right to give permission three days before the meeting,” he said, while recalling the denial of permission for their ‘Sagara Haram’ till the eleventh hour.
Permission for APNGOs meeting was a decision of the chief minister, who is looking after law and order in the absence of a home minister, he said. “It is an insult to people of Telangana,” he said and accused Kiran Reddy of discriminating against Telangana people.
Accusing the chief minister of conspiring against the people of Telangana, Kodandaram asked, “What can be expected from anti-social elements in power?” “He thinks he can stop the process of Telangana formation, but he should understand that he can not,” he said.
Demanding that the Centre intervene in the matter, the TJAC chairman said that people of Telangana have faced such oppression before and are able to confront it in a fitting manner. “Our silence does not mean that we are weak,” he said and added that their future plan of action will be discussed and announced on Thursday.
Asked if they would seek a legal course of action to get permission for their peace rally, he replied in the negative, stating that they don’t need it. Commenting on the persistence of Seemandhra people to keep the state united, he said it is like a spurned lover coming after with acid demanding subjugation.
TJAC leader Srinivas Goud asked the authorities how they propose to limit the meeting to just 15,000 while the APNGOs intend to bring in lakhs of people by mobilising two person from every household. It is not just the chief minister, but the Telangana ministers too will be equally responsible if anything goes out of hand on September 7.
Jana Against Permision
Later, speaking to mediapersons, panchayat raj minister K Jana Reddy said considering the situation in the state capital, permission for any meeting or rally should not have been given.
“I thought there will not be any permission for any meeting or rally, given the volatile situation in the state. But, if the meeting is to be held on that day, I call upon the people of Telangana and those in Hyderabad to maintain restraint and ensure that there are no untoward incidents,” he said.
He appealed to both the sides not to indulge in provocative statements hurting the sentiments of others. On the delay in celebrations over the T-statehood decision as announced earlier, he said they have decided to wait till the ongoing agitations in other two regions subside.
Seemandhra Capitalists
Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi founder-president Manda Krishna Madiga said that APNGOs, by deciding to organise a meeting in Hyderabad on September 7, had declared a war on the people of Telangana.
He took exception to the government giving permission to APNGOs to hold the meeting on September 7 at LB stadium, while denying permission to MRPS for a meeting there on September 6 to fight for exclusion of RTC and schools from the ongoing agitations.
“By ensuring permission for APNGOs’ meeting in Hyderabad, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy proved himself that he is not the CM of the state, but a representative of the capitalist forces of Seemandhra,” he said.
The MRPS leader also opposed UT status to Hyderabad as being demanded and said that if there is any such decision, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi may as well say goodbye to votes for her party in the Telangana region.
He said they will be seeking permission for their meeting once again from the DGP and if it is denied, they will resort to direct action