HYDERABAD: Taking strong exception to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s assurance, at Medchal election meeting here on Friday that Congress would accord special category status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh, several TRS leaders wondered how Sonia can talk about AP’s prospects in Telangana. Speaking to newsmen here on Saturday, Karimnagar MP B Vinod Kumar demanded that the Congress should first define what special category status is. “In the present circumstances, no State can get SCS,” Vinod Kumar said.
He reiterated that the TRS was not against the sanction of special funds for development of Andhra Pradesh, but no other State would agree to granting Special Category Status to it. “Sonia Gandhi is being misled by the Telangana Congress leaders,” he said. Meanwhile TRS leader KT Rama Rao also alleged that the Telangana Congress leaders prepared the speech and Sonia Gandhi read out the same.
Irrigation Minister in the caretaker government T Harish Rao told reporters in Mahbubnagar that injustice would be meted out to Telangana, if SCS was accorded to AP. “Speaking at an election meeting in Telangana, how could Sonia Gandhi shower sops on AP,” Harish Rao wondered. Sonia should have talked about providing industrial, tax concessions to Telangana too, he said and asked why she failed to announce anything to Telangana.
TRS MP Gutta Sukhender Reddy said in Nalgonda that the Sonia read out the script prepared by Telangana Congress leaders. “She does not know anything about Telangana. But, tried to get public sympathy to come to power in Telangana,” he alleged. Another TRS leader G Jagadish Reddy has said that Sonia read out Naidu’s script. “No one can save Congress,” he remarked.
Kavitha blasts Sonia for speaking Naidu’s language
Jagtial: TRS leader and Nizamabad MP K Kavitha lambasted AICC’s former president and UPA chairman Sonia Gandhi for speaking in favour of Andhra Pradesh and insulting Telangana during the latter’s speech in Hyderabad on Friday. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Kavitha said: “Sonia Gandhi has read out a script written by AP CM Naidu. She has insulted Telangana by speaking about the welfare of AP on Telangana soil.” Sonia Gandhi, during her address on Friday, said that ‘AP deserves SCS to be given by the UPA if it comes to power. Kavitha said that ‘Congress leader T Jeevan Reddy and TTDP president L Ramana never think about TS rights’.