Sunday’s march for Telangana has once again brought the clear-cut division among the Telangana Congress leaders on how to approach the separate statehood issue to the fore. While many Congress MLAs and ministers from the region stayed away from the event, only a few of them took a serious view of the “police highhandedness,” threatening that they would quit their posts.
Deputy chief minister Damodar Raja Narasimha and panchayati raj minister K. Jana Reddy said they will quit their posts if police repression against T-activists continues further.
However, the T-ministers did not accompany Congress MPs from Telangana who rushed to CM’s Camp Office to protest against police highhandedness.
Though T-ministers support the T state cause, but when it comes to demonstrating their support publicly, they are seen to be shying away.
After getting news about the arrests of T-MPs twice for squatting at the Camp Office, Mr Raja Narasimha declared that he was prepared to quit the post if such provocative measures by police continued.
He added he would not go back on his threat to resign once he takes the decision.
Mr Jana Reddy, who spoke to the CM over phone, reportedly objected strongly to the “repressive measures” of the police.
He was said to have complained that the police was unnecessarily precipitating the issue and creating hurdles for the activists even after government permitted the march.
Mr Jana Reddy told mediapersons, “I think time has come for all the T-ministers to show they do not care for their posts.” Sensing the mood, Alair MLA B. Biskamaiah Goud said they would also resign after the ministers quit.
Police arrested Congress MPs from Telangana when they protested at the chief minister’s Camp Office for the second time. They were shifted to the Shamshabad Airport station where they were detained till 7 pm.
The MPs staged the protest stating that they were prevented from meeting the CM over detention of T-activists by the police.