A day after the public meeting of APNGOs, held in Hyderabad in support of United Andhra Pradesh, the widening rift between the Congress leaders from either side of the divide was more visible on Sunday.
If the Seemandhra Congress leaders expressed satisfaction over the way the meeting had been conducted here, their Telangana counterparts upped the ante and said if the APNGOs had successfully held the meeting it was only because of the utmost restraint exercised by the Telangana people and politicos.
Union ministers Sarve Satyanarayana and P Balaram Naik, and state ministers K Jana Reddy and J Geeta Reddy on Sunday came down heavily on the speeches delivered by the APNGOs at the meeting.
Recalling the incidents of manhandling and roughing up of a constable and a student leader from Telangana by the United Andhra votaries at the time of the APNGO’s meeting, the Telangana Congress leaders made it clear that the people of Telangana could no longer live together with the people of Seemandhra.
“These incidents of attacks on T-people are highly deplorable. Is it the way for Seemandhra NGOs, who want the state remain united, to treat their Telangana brothers?” they lambasted.
The leaders also condemned the incident where a constable was roughed up for chanting “Jai Telangana” slogan at the LB Stadium where APNGOs held the meeting. The T-Congress leaders demanded an appropriate action against those responsible for it.
“The state government should initiate action against those united Andhra activists who beat the Telangana student and constable during the APNGOs meeting,” they demanded.
The leaders also disapproved of the police excesses on Telangana students at the Nizam College hostel at the time of the APNGOs meeting, held on Saturday.
Naik attacks CM
Union minister P Balaram Naik alleged that the meeting of the APNGOs was held at the behest of chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy.
Speaking to reporters at Mahbubabad in Warangal district on Sunday, he said the APNGOs meeting had been held under the direction of the chief minister. Taking strong exception to the incidents of manhandling of some Telangana activists by United Andhra supporters during the meeting, Balaram Naik asked how the Telangana people could live with Seemandhra people when the latter were resorting to such barbaric attacks on their Telangana brothers. He also lashed out at the Telangana ministers for keeping silent over the physical attacks on the Telangana activists on Saturday.
Reminding that the Seemandhra people were driven out of then then Madras state due to their arm-twisting acts, the Union minister asked the former to bear this fact in mind and behave properly.
Geeta denounces
Another Telangana minister J Geeta Reddy said they would complain to the high command on the incidents. The Saturday’s meeting of APNGOs was successful only because of the restraint exercised by people of Telangana, she claimed and condemned the attack on a police constable by APNGOs for raising a “Jai Telangana” slogan.
Condemning the lathicharge on the students at the Nizam College on Saturday, she said they would take these incidents to the notice of their party high command.