TRS lambasts Chief Minister

MAHABUBNAGAR: Leaders of the Telangana Rastra Samithi (TRS) came down heavily on Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy for his anti-Telangana utterances at a public meeting in Nandyal on Thursday, immediately after completion of the first phase of the poll.

Speaking to reporters here on Friday, TRS State general secretary S. Niranjan Reddy, Telangana Jagruti founder president and K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter, Kavitha, TRS district president Yennam Srinivas Reddy and Nagarkurnool Lok Sabha candidate of TRS, Guvvala Balraj, said that the Chief Minister should be barred from campaigning as he had violated the election code by provoking people of one region against people of another region.

Prosecution sought

They also demanded the Election Commission to register a case against him for trying to create animosity among the people of the two regions.

History recalled

They said that in the 400 years history of Telangana region there was no discrimination against anyone.

Kannadigas, Tamils, Gujaratis, Sikhs, Maharastrians and people from Northern States had migrated to Telangana since the last 400 years, but they were never discriminated against or humiliated, they said.

“They became part of Hyderabad’s cosmopolitan culture and also strived for the development of Telangana region”, they said.

The TRS leaders made it clear that their party opposed those who wanted to exploit the region and its resources but not the people who had settled here and mingled with the locals.

Poser to YSR

Disapproving the statement of Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy that once Telangana was formed, the TRS would not allow people from Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema to settle down and do business in Hyderabad and that they would be treated like foreigners in Hyderabad, the TRS leaders asked whether the Andhras who settled in Chennai after formation of Andhra Pradesh were treated like foreigners.

Stoking passions

They alleged that the Chief Minister was raking regional passions by sensing the outcome of the first phase of the poll where the Grand Alliance was set to sweep the election in the Telangana region.