TRS protests Modi’s ‘hasty Telangana formation’ remark

Across the state, the TRS cadres, sporting black badges and holding black flags, took out motorcycle rallies, staged protest demonstrations and released black balloons in the air.

Leaders of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Congress organised a state-wide protest and burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday after his comments in the Parliament on the “unscientific” bifurcation of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh to carve out Telangana by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2014.

The TRS leaders demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should tender an unconditional apology to the people of Telangana, who had struggled for decades to achieve separate statehood. (HT)

The TRS leaders demanded that the Prime Minister should tender an unconditional apology to the people of Telangana, who had struggled for decades to achieve separate statehood. Across the state, the TRS cadres, sporting black badges and holding black flags, took out motorcycle rallies, staged protest demonstrations and released black balloons in the air. In Hyderabad, TRS cadres, led by state minister Talasani Srinivasa Yadav, staged a demonstration at Telangana Martyrs Memorial in front of the state assembly.

While replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the Presidential address in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Modi found fault with the Congress-led UPA government for the manner in which the AP Reorganisation Bill was passed in the Parliament in February 2014.

Stating that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was not against the formation of Telangana, Modi pointed out that when the bifurcation Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha, microphones were cut, doors were shut, and the Congress MPs had even used pepper sprays.

“The bifurcation bill was passed without any debate and there was no consultation with the stakeholders over the bifurcation process, because of which there is continuing bitterness on both sides,” he said.

The TRS, which has been targeting the Prime Minister and the central government over various issues, quickly reacted to his comments and said Modi had insulted the people of Telangana and their fight for separate statehood by saying that the bifurcation was done without any consultations and debate.

KCR’s daughter and lawmaker Kalvakuntla Kavitha also criticised the “insensitive remarks” of the Prime Minister. “Telangana is a reality because of the fight put up by the people of the state. It was the sheer grit and certitude of people that made all political parties support us in creating Telangana,” she said.

State finance minister T Harish Rao demanded that the Prime Minister must clarify how the passage of the bifurcation Bill, which received consent from 33 political parties, including the then ruling Congress and the main opposition BJP, could be termed undemocratic and unscientific.

In New Delhi, TRS MPs held a protest at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Parliament premises and raised slogans against Modi and the BJP. TRS parliamentary party leader K Kesava Rao said the party would examine the possibility of moving a privilege motion against the Prime Minister for making unsavoury comments on the AP Reorganisation Act.

He reminded that the then BJP leader in Rajya Sabha and current Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu had proposed ten amendments to the bifurcation bill.

Meanwhile, following a call by Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president A Revanth Reddy, Congress cadres also held protest demonstrations across the state and burnt the effigies of Modi. They attempted to lay siege to the state BJP office at Nampally, but the police foiled their attempt and dispersed the protestors. No arrests were made, the police said.

Revanth accused the Prime Minister of insulting the people of Telangana by making ‘baseless’ and ‘irrelevant’ references to the state during his speech.

Telangana BJP reacted strongly to the protests. Describing it as a big drama, state BJP president Bandi Sanjay said the TRS was trying to divert the attention of the people from the real issues.

He said there was nothing wrong in the comments made by the Prime Minister, as the latter had not opposed Telangana but was only exposing the manner in which the Bill was passed.

“Has Modi opposed the formation of Telangana and stalled the bifurcation bill? He only referred to the manner in which the bifurcation was done, while explaining how the people of the country, right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari had suffered problems during the decades of misrule of the Congress,” he pointed out.

He reminded the TRS leaders that the BJP had taken a stand in favour of separate Telangana much before the ruling party came into existence.

“It was BJP MP Sushma Swaraj, who had brought pressure on the then UPA government to get the Telangana bill passed. She even said if the UPA failed to introduce the bill, the BJP would get the Telangana bill passed after it formed the government,” he said.