MLCs demand CM's resignation - TeluguPeople.com News

Hyderabad, March 11 (INN): Members of the Legislative Council belonging to the Telugu Desam Party on Friday demanded that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy tender his resignation over the desecration of the statues of eminent Telugu personalities on the Tank Bund during the Million March on Thursday. The opposition TDP, CPI and CPM stalled the proceeding of the Council for about two hours demanding their adjournment motions given separately urging the chair to discuss the issue of damaging the statues at Tank Bund during Million March yesterday.

Leader of Opposition D Veerabhadra Rao, CPI and CPM Floor Leaders, Members P Venkateswara Rao and Ch Seetaramulu respectively alleged that the government and police 'utterly' failed to discharge its duties in protecting the properties and the statues. The trio demanded that Home Minister P Sabitha Indira Reddy be summoned to the Council for giving statement on Thursday's incident. MLCs cutting across the political affiliation and hailing from Andhra/Rayalseema attended Council by sporting black ribbon.

Council Chairman A Chakrapani disallowing adjournment motions said that the government would give reply on this and asked the members to allow the House to take up the day's agenda. The opposition members however did not relent. At this juncture the members of ruling Congress party hailing from Seemandhra regions too joined with the opposition and urged the chair to see that the home minister should give statement on this. The Chairman tried in vain to bring the House to order but ordered the Council to be adjourned when the situation went out of control.

When the House reassembled after an hour, the situation remained the same because the Home Minister was not present in the Council. However, Forest Minister S Vijay Rama Rao making a statement on behalf of the Home Minister on yesterday's incident on the Floor of the Council said that the police has not permitted for 'Million March' however a mob of hundreds of pro-Telangana.

Agitators gathered at the Upper Tank Bund and damaged 16 statues out of the total 33 at the Tank Bund, besides torching a police jeep and damaged some cameras of Electronic and print media. The police exercised maximum restraint to control the situation; tear gas was used and resorted to lathicharge to disperse the mob. Eight policemen and media representatives were also injured in the tussle between the mob and the police, he informed. As many as 60 persons were taken into custody and 18 cases have been booked and investigations are on in this regard.

Not satisfied with the reply of the minister, Mr Veerabhadra Rao demanded that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy should resign immediately owing responsibility of the failure of the government to protect the properties and the statues of the great personalites of Telugu region. He said that damaging the statues of such personalities is an insult to the AP state in general and the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions in particular. He added that the then chief minister NT Rama Rao has erected these statues befitting the calibre of these personalities.

The police present at this site must be punished for not stopping the agitators who damaged the statues and the culprit must be brought to book. Mr P Nageswar Rao (CPI) termed yesterday's incident damaging properties and statues with that of the demolition of Babri Masjid, he added that the police in UP state in 1992 did not take any action on the Karsevaks and witnessed the demolition as the mute spectators.

Mr Seetaramulu (CPM) lamented that the state government has brought strong contingent of paramilitary forces and spending crore of rupees on them. The forces instead of controlling the mob at the Tank Bund spread across the city and created curfew like situation. The forces were also deployed in every nook and corner of the entire Telangana districts creating panic in the people of this region. Prof Nageswar (PDF) blaming the government and police he said if the police given permission to hold million march this incident have been averted as their leaders would have controlled the situation, instead the police arrested all the leaders of different political parties, he said.