Seemandhra hurt by Jaipal Reddy

• “Dullards in land of Potti Sriramulu” remark enrages several leaders
• They retort that “only Suntas” make derogatory remarks
• Veteran Telangana leader gets a good bawling out
• Growing clamour to dismiss him from the Union Cabinet

Hyderabad: Seemandhra leaders on Sunday lashed out at the Union Minister for Science and Technology, S Jaipal Reddy, for calling Seemandhra people as ‘dullards’ (Suntas) at a diary release function organized by Telangana Tehsildars Association here on Saturday, and many demanded that he be sacked from the Union Cabinet. Reddy referring to the manner in which Seemandhra leaders were trying to create hurdles in the T process remarked that he was pained to see that “Suntas (dullards) are born in Seemandhra which has produced great patriots like Potti Sriramulu and Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramaiah.” He also said that after January 23 midnight the last ball would land in Delhi and not in Hyderabad.

The leader of opposition in the Legislative Council, Yanamala Ramakrishunudu, and MLC N Rajakumari demanded that Jaipal Reddy should be sacked from the Union Council of Ministers for his “intemperate and insulting” comments against the people of Seemandhra region. “He has insulted nine crore Telugu speaking people,” they said.

Ramakrishnudu said, “Only Suntas will make derogatory comments.” He said Reddy, who was so far held in high esteem and known for his great oratorical skills and intellectual standing, had proved that he was no different from ordinary politicians. He demanded that Reddy should tender an apology to the Telugu people. Reddy, he said, was never a people’s leader. “He had led the attack against Rajiv Gandhi in Bofors case and had demanded that he be hanged to death. Such a man is now part of Sonia Gandhi’s bandwagon and enjoying constitutional posts.”

Jaipal who was trying to project himself as champion T cause did nothing for the region nor did he sacrifice anything for the cause of T state. When the agitation was at its peak, he claimed he was a nationalist and now he is trying to project himself as the champion of separate state, the TDP leaders added.

Rajahmundry MP Vundavalli Arun Kumar felt that Jaipal had stooped to a very low level. He was always considered to be a great intellectual. He said he was ready for an open debate with Jaipal Reddy on the issue of bifurcation and will prove that what Reddy was saying about the need for T state was wrong. He demanded that the union minister should take back his words. “Being an intellectual he should not have stooped down to the level of a street fighter or that of KCR,” he said.

Law Minister Erasu Pratap Reddy feels that both Telangana and Samaikyandhra agitations are foolish. Reacting to the remark of Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy that there are fools among Seemandhra leaders, Pratap Reddy said “Jaipal Reddy should know that in the land of Gandhis, donkeys are also there.” He said he does not know whom Jaipal was targeting. He should also know that foolish people are there in all regions.

Former TDP MP Ramamohan Rao said that the Seemandhra region was the land where great people like Potti Sriramulu and Pattabhi Sitaramaiah were born. “It is wrong on the part of Jaipal Reddy to call the Seemandhra people fools.”

APNGOs president P Ashok Babu said that the association condemns the comments made by the union minister.”We never expected that a man like him would stoop down to such low level.” Another TDP leader B Gopalakrishna Reddy in Chittoor said that Jaipal Reddy was opposed to bifurcation in 1969.

However, BJP leader Ch Vidyasagar Rao came to the defense of Reddy. He said Reddy had praised the great leaders from the region like Potti Sriramulu and only referred to the saying in Telugu that children of intellectuals were fools (Panditaputra parama sunta).