PM Modi angers TRS, Congress

Hyderabad: TRS and Congress leaders took strong exception to the remarks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the bifurcation of undivided Andhra Pradesh, in Parliament on Thursday.

Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s address, the Prime Minister, while targeting the Congress for its remarks on the BJP government’s policies, referred to the manner in which Telangana state was carved out during the Congress regime.

Mr Modi said, “People do not forget things easily. I want to remind the leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, about the manner in which the proceedings took place during the creation of Telangana. Doors were closed and live telecast was prohibited.”

Agriculture minister S. Niranjan Reddy, condemning the remarks, said, “Formation of the Telangana state was the result of 60 years of struggle and sacrifices made by hundreds of people.”

Stating that Mr Modi lacked understanding on the subject, he said, “It is because of the Telangana movement that Mulki rules, 610 GO, Pranab Mukherjee committee and Srikrishna committee were constituted. But the process of bifurcation was delayed.”

Reminding that statehood was granted only after the people fought relentlessly for years, Mr Niranjan Reddy said, “There was no other alternative than to fulfil the long-standing dream of the people. It was the BJP that said it would grant separate statehood within 100 days of coming to power if the Congress failed to deliver the goods.”

The minister said the Centre finally relented only after the final phase of agitation launched by K. Chandrasekhar Rao in 2011 and his fast unto death in 2009.

He pointed out, “Modi, on an earlier occasion too, made a mindless comment that while carving Telangana, the mother was killed and the child was saved. Your ‘closed doors’ comment is nothing but belittling the sacrifices of the people who died for the cause of Telangana.”

TRS senior leader and Legislative Council Cha-irman Gutha Sukhender Reddy said that the PM not only insulted the people of Telangana but also the late Sushma Swaraj, who had supported statehood in Parliament.

Stating that the Prime Minister has to first ascertain the factual position, Mr Sukhender Reddy advised the Prime Minister to change his attitude towards Telan-gana state.

Telangana Pradesh Con-gress Committee treasurer Gudur Narayana Reddy said Mr Modi was not an MP then and might not be aware of what happened in Parliament.” He said it was the Congress-led UPA government which created Telangana while BJP and other parties supported the move.

Asking the BJP leaders to clarify whether or not they supported the formation of Telangana state, Mr Narayan Reddy said “Modi is apparently against division of Andhra Pradesh and therefore, he often refers to the process adopted to pass the Telangana Bill.”