Anti-Modi protests rock Telangana

Hyderabad: Telangana rose as one on Wednesday when massive protests erupted across the State condemning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unwarranted remarks in Rajya Sabha against the 2014 bifurcation, reminiscent of the spontaneity with which people participated in the 14 years of the statehood movement. Ministers, TRS elected representatives and leaders, farmers, lawyers, students, employees and […]

Hyderabad: Telangana rose as one on Wednesday when massive protests erupted across the State condemning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unwarranted remarks in Rajya Sabha against the 2014 bifurcation, reminiscent of the spontaneity with which people participated in the 14 years of the statehood movement.

Ministers, TRS elected representatives and leaders, farmers, lawyers, students, employees and the general public took to the streets in all the cities, towns and villages, sending a clear message to Modi and the BJP — don’t mess with the people of Telangana who still have the spirit of the statehood movement within them.

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Modi, replying to the motion of thanks on the President’s address in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, had described the State formation as unscientific, triggering a backlash from the people of Telangana who demanded an unconditional apology from the Prime Minister for insulting the statehood movement and belittling the sacrifices made by hundreds of youth.
Following a call given by TRS working president and Minister KT Rama Rao, TRS leaders including Ministers and legislators led the protests in all the mandal and Assembly constituency headquarters across the State. Bike rallies, mock funeral procession and burning of Modi’s effigies marked the protests across the State.

Finance Minister T Harish Rao demanded that the Prime Minister justify as to how the passage of the Farm Laws Bills was democratic and scientific, despite the ruling BJP not having adequate majority in Rajya Sabha and the entire Opposition objecting to it. He wondered how the passage of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, which received consent from a total of 33 parties including the then ruling Congress and the main opposition BJP, can be termed undemocratic and unscientific.

Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao, demanding an apology from Modi, said the Prime Minister has been lying through his teeth and was resorting to promoting hatred instead of instilling confidence in Parliament which is a temple of democracy.

Barring minor clashes at a couple of places, the protests largely remained peaceful. Tension prevailed in Jangaon when BJP workers tried to stop TRS and Congress activists from burning effigies of the Prime Minister. This led to a clash first between BJP and Congress workers and later between BJP and TRS supporters. However, the police intervened to bring the situation under control.

Raising slogans of ‘BJP down down’, ‘Modi down down’ and carrying black flags, the protesters burnt effigies of the BJP as well as the Prime Minister. They wore black dresses, badges, headbands and scarves besides releasing black balloons into the air. The Ministers and the legislators took out bike rallies in their respective constituency headquarters. Later, they burnt the effigies of the BJP as well as the Prime Minister.

In Hyderabad, Home Minister Mohd Mahmood Ali and Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav led the protests, demanding that the Prime Minister apologise to people of Telangana for insulting the statehood movement. They demanded that the Prime Minister takes back his words. Labour Minister Ch Malla Reddy led the protests in Medchal Malkajgiri district Panchayat Raj Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao and Government Chief Whip D Vinay Bhaskar staged a massive dharna in erstwhile Warangal. Ministers S Niranjan Reddy, A Indrakaran Reddy, and V Srinivas Goud took out bike rallies in Nirmal, Wanaparthy and Mahabubnagar respectively.

Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar joined the protestors in Khammam and formed a human chain. He said the Prime Minister spoke in Rajya Sabha out of his malice towards Telangana. Meanwhile, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) also held demonstrations and burnt Modi’s effigies across the State on Wednesday in protest against the Prime Minister’s reply to the Motion of Thanks in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. TPCC president and MP A Revanth Reddy accused the Prime Minister of insulting the people of Telangana by making ‘baseless’ and ‘irrelevant’ references to the State during his speech. “He is illiterate and totally ignorant of these procedures. I doubt whether he is even capable of reading ABCD,” said Reddy.