Hyderabad, January 08: “I have never spoken against Telangana. I will not utter a word in future too. It is the central government which has to take a decision on the issue,” Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu told a huge gathering at Narsampet on Friday.
The 14km long Rytu Poru Bata of Naidu in the district culminated in a public meeting at Narsampet.
In a couple of minor incidents, a student hurled a shoe at the dais but was soundly thrashed by TDP workers and handed over to the police. As the meeting began, a handful of TRS activists raised Jai Telangana slogans.
He termed the TRS’ attacks on TDP activists as “cheap and petty acts”. The TRS lacked commitment to Telangana. Five to ten workers could not spoil the huge meeting attended by thousands of people, Naidu thundered.
“I will not be cowed down by such attacks,” Naidu said while alleging that TRS was attacking TDP to wipe it out from the region. “Several attempts had been made in the past to eliminate the TDP. But only those parties were finished,” he said.
Undaunted by the protests, Naidu went on addressing the gathering. He said he had given a free hand to the Telangana Telugu Desam Forum to work as per the aspirations of the people of the region. “I never talked against Telangana and I will not do so in future. As a president of the party, I have to save the party for future generations. Is it not my responsibility to do so?” he asked and people endorsed Naidu’s argument with claps.
The leader of the opposition accused the Congress of playing politics with the people of the region. “The Congress took over the PRP and wanted to take over the TRS. It is the responsibility of the Centre to clear the political uncertainty in the state but the TDP is being targeted instead.”
On the controversial Polavaram irrigation project tenders, he declared that his party would fight against corruption in any form.
The crowd responded overwhelmingly when Naidu mentioned farmers’ grievances, pricerise, reimbursement of college fees and other problems.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N Chandrababu Naidu’s convoy to the Warangal district was attacked by stone-pelting and black flag demonstrations by Telangana activists led by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) who held him responsible for the delay in separate statehood for Telangana.
The attack began at Osmania university with the students pelting the convoy with stones, which forced the convoy to pass under the cover of tear gas. Though warned of the tense situation in the Palakruti assembly segment of Warangal in view of the overnight arrest of several TRS top leaders, Naidu refused to cancel his padayatra.
The TDP chief’s padayatra through all districts is being done to establish solidarity with farmers and shrug off his ‘computer-boy’ and anti-farmer image which had cost him the 2004 elections.
The stone pelting continued at Rayagiri in the Bhuvangiri mandal of Nalgonda as well as at Peddakandukuru. At Pembarti, unknown people torched tyres on railway tracks and attempted to remove the fishplates of railway tracks.
Window panes of a car in the convoy were damaged. Tomatoes, slippers and eggs replaced the stones in the some districts. A few people also tried to torch a TDP leader’s residence.
Despite all obstacles the first half of the padayatra was finished at Chennur covering 5 kms of his day’s schedule in two hours, including his interactions with the farmers. Naidu told TV channels that the TRS and YSRC who had supported TDP’s no confidence motion in the assembly on farmers’ issues had now turned tail when he tried to study the issue at the ground level. He advocated that they should all be working together.
CPI leader K Narayana also condemned the attack and said that no one should try to stall the democratic process and rights of anyone going to the people.
——Agencies