Even as verbal duel continued unabated between two prominent political rivals —YSR Congress Party and Telugu Desam over who was more sincere championing the cause of United Andhra Pradesh, the Hyderabad city police has refused to grant permission to yet another anti-Telangana rally in the city.
This has come at a time when YSRCP president Jaganmohan Reddy has returned home after getting discharged from the Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences following the end to his five-day-long hunger strike against Telangana and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu was also discharged from Ram Manohar lohia Hospital in New Delhi. Naidu’s six-day- long fast was broken on Saturday when doctors forcibly administered him the IV drips in view of his deteriorating health. Naidu has also come back to Hyderabad this evening.
Both Jagan and Naidu was locked in a fierce battle of one upmanship and both were claiming to be the real champion of the struggle to keep Andhra Pradesh united. The leaders of both the parties have raised questions about the seriousness of other’s indefinite hunger strike. Deputy Commissioner of Police VB Kamalasan Reddy has informed the YSRCP that its “Samaikya Shankaravam” rally on October 19 can not be permitted in view of land order situation. He said that the police have received reports that the meeting will disturb the peace and flare up tension in the city.
Taking strong objection to the police decision, senior YSRCP leader MV Mysoora Reddy said that the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy was responsible for the police decision. “The Chief Minister calls himself a supporter of United Andhra Pradesh. If he was what he claims he would not have refused permission to the meeting which was aimed at highlighting the need for keeping the State united. We would like to ask him whether he was a supporter of United AP or he was a puppet in the hands of Sonia Gandhi”, Mysoora Reddy asked.
Naidu also targeted the Congress party for the decision to bifurcate the State. “They are doing it for the political reasons, for the sake of votes and seats. This is an arbitrary decision taken without consulting the people”, he said. Interestingly, Naidu, who had earlier written to the Central Government in favour of Telangana State has now refused to elaborate whether he stands of Telangana State or united AP. “Both are like two children to me. How can you ask which one I love’, he countered when he was asked to spell out his stand by media.