HYDERABAD: Internal politics left veteran Congress leaders V Hanumantha Rao and Ponnala Lakshmaiah in a huff on Saturday when their names were left out of the list at Raj Bhavan for a meeting with Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan. Congress delegates called on the Telangana Governor to make a representation against the “indiscriminate sale of liquor”.
Led by CLP leader, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, the Congress leaders sought action against sale of illicit liquor, belt shops, permit rooms which in turn were leading to atrocities against women.
Top party leaders, including, Revanth Reddy, Shabbir Ali, Sridhar Babu and T Jayaprakash Reddy were part of the delegation. However, when Hanumantha Rao and Ponnala reached the Raj Bhavan, they were made to sit outside since their names were not on the list of representatives. High security at Raj Bhavan does not allow any visitor to meet the Governor unless his or her name is on the list.
A furious Hanumantha Rao said that he had rushed from New Delhi cancelling other appointments in the national Capital when Bhatti Vikramarka called him over the phone to participate in the meeting.
“At the entrance of the Raj Bhavan, I was informed that my name was not in the list of representatives. Is this the way to treat veteran leaders like me?” he asked, visibly upset.
Ponnala Lakshmaiah found fault with the indifferent attitude of Bhatti Vikramarka on the matter. He too expressed annoyance at his name going amiss from the list. He alleged that some leaders in the party were deliberately shunning BC leaders. Lakshmaiah said that Congress will face a bleak future if such incidents take place again.
Meanwhile, the Congress delegation alleged that cases like Disha issue were taking place in various parts of the State like Warangal and Komaram Bheem districts “as the police were functioning as TRS partypersons rather than working for the people in implementing law and order.”