Legislative Affairs Minister Shailajanath on Friday strongly opposed the draft Telangana Bill saying it was against the spirit of democracy and Constitution of India.
Participating in the debate on the draft Telangana Bill, Shailajanath said bifurcation of the State was not a issue between the region, it related to unity of the Telugu people. The draft Telangana Bill was totally against the spirit of Telangana agrarian armed struggle and the principle of linguistic States. The Bill also was totally against the federal spirit of Indian democracy, he added.
Stating that agitation for Visalaandhra had begun from erstwhile Nizam State, he said the Rayalaseema and Andhra regions were once part of Nizam State, he added. “We are not colonials and Andhras. We came to Hyderabad on the request of Andhra Maha Nagari”, he said. He also claimed that united Andhra Pradesh gave strength to Dailts to voice their rights.
Indirectly targeting TRS Chief K Chandrasekhara Rao (KCR), he said a top Telangana agitation leader had assured that a Dalit would be made Chief Minister after caring out of separate Telangana State, but the latter did not come forward to take back allocated lands in the region and distribute them to the Dailts. He also asked why the Telangana leaders kept mum when Jai Andhra Movement erupted in 1972 after the Supreme Court upheld then Mulki Rules.
The minister opined that formation of separate Telangana State would help only landlords and feudal forces. Strongly objecting the allegation of Telangana leaders that natural resources have been looted by the Seemandlra industrialists and leaders, he said no Seemandhra leader alienated lands in Hyderabad and invested money in their region. Shailajanath requested Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to set up a committee to inquire into the properties purchased by the leaders in the cities of Seemandhra like Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.
Strongly objecting to the comments made by the Legislative Affairs Minister, the TDP MLA Errabelli Dayakar Rao dared Shailajanath to resign to his post and talk against the decision of the Congress government.
Earlier, the TRS members also rushed to the podium of the Speaker in protest against the comments made by Shailajanath.
Shailajanath would continue his speech tomorrow as Deputy Speaker Mall Batti Vikramarka, who was in the Chair, adjourned the House at 2.30 pm to meet at 9 am on Saturday. (NSS)
