Blast from the past?

Hyderabad, March 30: As the Old City burns, the question haunting everyone is whether there is a political angle to the riots. That the violence is engineered is established – Hyderabad Police Commissioner AK Khan has already said so.

But is there a similarity of purpose between now and 1989? Riots were triggered in 1989 after Marri Chenna Reddy took over as chief minister, frustrating the attempts of another powerful faction in the Congress which wanted to see its leader in the gaddi.

Nizamabad MP and Congress leader Madhu Yashki Goud said Monday that the same forces, which had fomented trouble in 1989 to dislodge Chenna Reddy, were at it again.

‘‘Violence broke out at eight places. All the incidents were pre-meditated. They are engineered to bring down Chief Minister K Rosaiah’s government,’’ Yashki alleged.

Blaming leaders of Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, he said the riots would serve their twin objectives of Rosaiah’s exit and Telangana movement’s end.

Cantonment Congress MLA P Shankara Rao echoed the same views. ‘‘This seems to be a repeat of 1989. This is a conspiracy against Rosaiah. Party president Sonia Gandhi is being briefed by the IB,’’ he said. Earlier, when Rosaiah held a meeting with city MLAs and police officials, MIM floor leader in the Assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi reportedly expressed the same views. However, BJP suspected the hand of MIM.

-Agencies