The pro-Telangana activists and those against it almost came to blows at A.P. Bhavan in New Delhi on Wednesday in the presence of Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and other senior leaders.
Trouble began when Telangana Ministers tried to obstruct the convoy of vehicles carrying the Chief Minister and Seemandhra Ministers to Jantar Mantar, venue of their silent protest. J. Geetha Reddy, D.K. Aruna, Sunitha Lakshma Reddy, Chief Whip G. Venkataramana Reddy, Ministers and others attempted to prevent the vehicles from moving.
This prompted the integrationists to rush to the support of the Chief Minister.
As jostling ensued between the two sides, police pushed aside those obstructing the convoy. Ms. Aruna lost her balance in the melee and was about to fall when her colleagues came to her rescue.
Telangana Ministers said the way the women Ministers were treated reflected Mr. Kiran Reddy’s “arrogant and dictatorial attitude”.
Mr. Kiran Reddy, who had assured to abide by whatever decision the party high command would take on separate Telangana, however, changed his stand after the Centre’s announcement on formation of Telangana.
They asserted that the Telangana Ministers were not party to Chief Minister’s actions like moving a resolution against the bifurcation Bill in the Assembly.
The Ministers later met Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh. Deputy Chief Minister C. Damodar Rajanarsimha launched a trenchant attack on the Chief Minister for his attempts to stall the formation of Telangana state.
No amount of tactics to pressurise the party high command to go back on bifurcation would yield fruit as the party was committed to its promise of carving out a separate state.
He wanted Mr. Kiran Reddy to quit as he was behaving like the Chief Minister of a particular region.
