Telangana heading for Constitutional crisis: Congress

Hyderabad: Former minister and ex-Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir said that the Telangana State was heading for a Constitutional crisis.

"With Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao suppressing all organs of democracy, Telangana is heading for a serious Constitutional crisis. KCR has been trying to supersede Legislature, Executive and even Judiciary and trying to impose dictatorship where people are not allowed to exercise their Right to Freedom of Speech or express dissent against government's wrong decision," he said while speaking to media persons at his residence in Jubilee Hills where he was kept under house arrests by the police since 6.30 am on Monday.

Shabbir Ali strongly condemned the arrest of thousands of party workers and leaders across the Telangana State on Monday to foil their attempt to lay siege to Pragathi Bhavan, CM's official residence, demanding resolution of RTC crisis. "Almost all leaders were kept under house arrest since the wee hours of Monday and those who managed to come out were taken into custody and shifted to various police stations. This is completely against the democratic norms," he said.

He said that the Congress leaders wanted to assemble at Pragathi Bhavan to submit a memorandum to the Chief Minister seeking immediate resolution of RTC crisis. However, the Chief Minister appears to be in no mood to even accept a memorandum on public issues. He said that the Chief Minister did not allow the top Congress leaders to even step out of their houses while arrested thousands of Congress workers from different parts of the State. He said even the Begumpet Railway Station and flyover was closed for the public. Pragathi Bhavan was fortified in a way as if it was some real fort with the king living in it. KCR used the police to foil a simple protest in such an aggressive manner as if it was some military trying to thwart a coup, he said.

Alleging that CM KCR was trying to murder the democracy, Shabbir Ali said that a serious Constitutional crisis was staring at Telangana State. He said that the TRS Government has openly disobeyed the High Court which directed initiation of talks with RTC employees who are on strike. Further, by not appointing a regular Managing Director, KCR has given a message that he had no respect for the court and law. Further, he said the Chief Minister was not responding to any of the positive attempts made by Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan to resolve the RTC crisis. By crushing the protest by opposition parties, unions and other groups, KCR is giving a clear signal that Telangana was now under his dictatorship. "Just the way he declared over 48,000 RTC employees as self-dismissed, KCR was moving towards self-dismissal of his own government," he said.

Shabbir Ali said that the Congress party would intensify the protest and the strategy would be decided once TPCC President N. Uttam Kumar Reddy is free from Huzurnagar bye-elections. He said that the TPCC Executive Committee would meet in the next two-three days to chalk out future plan of action. He said that the Congress party would not rest till all RTC employees get justice.