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Protestors vent Telangana ire on Gandhi family statues
Congress leaders from Rayalseema and Andhra regions may have decided to continue in the ruling state government despite the decision to carve out Telangana, but most of the opponents of the movement have directed their anger at the Gandhi family.
Venting their ire at Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who they believe was instrumental in approving the creation of Telangana, these activist have attacked the statues of Rajiv Gandhi and Indira Gandhi.
Several statues of the two late Congress leaders and prime ministers have either been desecrated or burnt down.
Inflammatory statements like the one made by Telangana Rashtra Samiti President K Chandrasekara Rao, who had said that government employees from Seema-Andhra should leave Telangana once the state is formed, have exacerbated the problem. He further declared that Telangana was not ready to share its capital with another state.
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Protestors vent Telangana ire on Gandhi family statues
The TRS hastily clarified that Rao had meant that those who were employed illegally must leave but the angry activists of Seema-Andhra leaders are in no mood to listen.
Senior Congress leaders from the region have already conveyed their concerns to Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and said that it is in the best interest of everyone that the state remains united.
In sporadic demonstrations across the state, protesters continue to chant slogans against the Gandhi family, as they believe Sonia Gandhi agreed to the division of the state with an eye on the Lok Sabha polls.
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Protestors vent Telangana ire on Gandhi family statues
Additional forces have been deployed in Seema-Andhra to control the protests.
“People from across the state have been living in Hyderabad since the last 60 years. Overnight, they cannot be asked to leave,” said a senior Congress leader.
The TRS, on the other hand, has claimed that its statements are being misinterpreted by the leaders of Seema-Andhra.
“No one is asking the people to leave. Sharing the capital for two years makes sense since it is not feasible for the new state to have Hyderabad as its capital. We have lived together for 60 years. None of us want any violence or problems,” said a TRS leader.
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