Dy CM fumes at Kiran

• If he was not for T, he should have resigned
• Other leaders also join issue with Kiran

Hyderabad: The comments made by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy at the Telugu Bhasha Dinotsavam on Thursday that any government that did not act as per the wishes of the people would be routed in the elections received flak from the Congress leaders from Telanagana, including deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarsimha.

Speaking to media at Yadagirigutta on Friday, Rajanarasimha found fault with Kiran’s statement. He said carving of separate Telangana state was a promise made by the party high command in its election manifesto in 2004 and 2009. The party had also gone to polls in alliance with TRS. If Kiran Kumar Reddy was opposed to separate Telangana, then he should have expressed his displeasure with the party’s decision at that time and should have quit the party. Kiran was close to the then Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy at that time, he said.

Referring to the remark of the Chief Minister that in a democracy the government should act as per the wishes of the people, he wanted to know if there were no people in Telangana region. Separate state was the desire of the people of Telangana. How can the Chief Minister ignore it, he asked

The Deputy Chief Minister said that there was no need for any kind of apprehension in the minds of the people from other regions who were staying here. All those who stay in Hyderabad were Hyderabadis and Hyderabad was an integral part of Telangana, he added.

On the other hand, Cantonment MLA P Shankar Rao demanded that the Chief Minister resign for behaving in a non-partisan manner. In New Delhi, MP G Vivek also found fault with the Chief Minister for his comments. He said the Chief Minister should abide by the decision of the Congress Working Committee. He said such problems could be avoided only if the Centre took the process of bifurcation forward without any delay.