Congress leaders blame TD for State division

Vijayawada: The Congress leaders from Krishna district on Saturday blamed the Telugu Desam for the division of the State and the subsequent political unrest in the Seemandhra region. The leaders addressed the party workers at a meeting organised by the Krishna District and Vijayawada City units of the Congress to prepare the rank and file to face the peoples’ resistance from Seemandhra on the division of the State.

Minister for Secondary Education K P Saradhi, who was the chief guest at the meeting, criticised the Telugu Desam chief N Chandrababu Naidu for undertaking ‘aatma gourava yatra’ (self-respect tour) in Seemandhra and termed it as ‘aatma droha’ (self betrayal) yatra. He also sought to advise Chandrababu Naidu against criticising the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi holding her responsible for the division of the State. He said that the Congress activists would teach the TD leader a lesson if he continued to criticise the Congress and Sonia Gandhi.

Former minister Devineni Rajasekhar Nehru shifted blame on to the Telugu Desam and the Bharatiya Janata Party for the division of the State. He said that the BJP, which is the main opposition party in Parliament, and Telugu Desam, the main opposition in the State Assembly, have decided in favour of the division. He further said that the two opposition parties have mounted pressure on the Congress leadership to divide the State and form Telangana State. In addition, the TRS and other parties have also resolved in favour of division of the State, he said. The Congress leaders from Telangana region too have mounted pressure on the Congress leadership for division of the State, he added.

He said that the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the Congress Working Committee were forced to take the decision due to pressure from the BJP and the TD, besides the TRS and the Congress leaders. He wondered how the same leaders were now pointing an accusing finger at the Congress. “When the main opposition (BJP) at the Centre and the TDP in the State were asking for division of the State and also given letters in favour of division, it became compulsory for the Congress to take the decision. It is unfortunate that the main opposition in the State (TD) is now blaming the Congress,” Rajasekhar Nehru regretted.

The former minister also appealed to the rank and file of the Congress not to allow anyone to blame the Congress leadership alone on the division. He said the Congress was the last party to take the decision and that too after several rounds of consultations and the enquiry by the Srikrishna Commission. He wanted the party leaders to expose the role of the TDP. He also asked them not to allow the other parties to blame the Congress leadership on division.

Krishna district Congress Committee president N Narasimha Rao, city Congress working president Meesala Rajeswara Rao and city Congress president, Adapa Sivanagendram were in the chair. The party legislators, Malladi Vishnu, Vellampalli Srinivasa Rao, Dirisam Padma Jyothi, former MLA M Venkateswara Rao, MLC Ilapuram Venkaiah and other senior leaders were present at the meeting.