[1]
Hyderabad: The Congress’s Central leadership is fast losing patience with the Seemandhra agitations and wants to take a tough line with its leaders. AICC general secretary and state party affairs in-charge Digvijay Singh warned Seemandhra leaders not to talk openly against the Congress Working Committee’s decision to divide the state.
According to sources, it was after this warning that the Seemandhra leaders shifted their dharna from Jantar Mantar to Mahatma Gandhi’s statue outside Par-liament House on Tuesday. Union ministers K. Chiranjeevi, Kavuri Sambasiva Rao, J.D. Seelam, D. Purandeswari, Kotla Surya Prakash Reddy, Killi Krupa Rani, Panabaka Laxmi and 14 state ministers, about 40 MPs, MLAs and MLCs took part in the dharna.
This is the first time in the history of Parliament that a dharna has been held at the Gandhi statue by Union ministers, MPs, state ministers and state legislators for nearly two hours. Accordi-ng to Parliament rules, only MPs have the right to pro-test at the Gandhi statue.
MPs refuse to move out
The office of the Lok Sabha Speaker on Tuesday ordered the security personnel to move the agitating Seemandhra leaders from their dharna at Mahatma Gandhi’s statue outside Parliament House, but the MPs refused to budge for two hours.
Speaking to the media at the dharna, Union minister K. Chiranjeevi said, “All members and ministers have come to show how much Seemandhra people are angry and we want a united AP.”
Senior MLA Gade Venkata Reddy called the state’s division anti people. Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao expressed the hope that the high command will reconsider its decision on the state’s division.
The Seemandhra leaders said that they will continue their agitation till the high command withdraws its decision on the state’s bifurcation.
Meanwhile, T-MPs met Digvijay Singh on Tuesday and requested that the process of creating T-state be speeded up.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/digvijay-warnsjpg-235