Telangana Rashtra Samithi president and Union Labour Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday said his party decided to pull out its ministers from the Andhra Pradesh Cabinet to protest against the 'anti-Telangana' actions and policies pursued by Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy.
Rao told newsmen in New Delhi that the handling of the Naxalites by the Congress government in the state was not the only issues. Citing an instance, he said that the chief minister has gone ahead with the construction of the Pulichintala project to help coastal Andhra, ignoring the TRS concerns on the project.
Also see: Five TRS ministers quit AP govt
The Pulichintala project was likely to affect tribals and hit the cement industry as the lands and limestone deposits in villages of Telangana region would be submerged for construction of a dam to serve the irrigation needs of coastal Andhra.
"We wanted him to shift the site but the CM got about 1,000 protestors arrested and laid the foundation stone for
this project," he pointed out.
Rao said that he had brought the 'anti-Telangana actions' of YSR to the notice of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh but nothing was done to restrain him.
"We have taken this decision to pull out ministers from YSR Cabinet because while being in the government, we cannot work to protect the interests of Telangana. We have found that the YSR government is working against Telangana," he added.
Also see: YSR in no hurry to accept resignations
The TRS boss made it clear that he and his colleague, A Narendra, would remain in the Union Cabinet 'till a final decision is taken.'
He explained that "after meeting the PM and Sonia Gandhi, we will decide on the future course of action whether to remain in the Union cabinet or quit. The decision depends on PM and Soniaji. I will also consult our supporting parties
and allies and get their advice. I will get back to you in two to three days," he told newsmen.
Asked about the refusal of TRS minister, S Santosh Reddy, to quit the state Cabinet, he said: "If any brother goes astray, we will bring him back. But there is no question of any dissensions or split in the party. These are very small things."
Referring to the encounter killings of Maoists and other Naxalite cadres, Rao said: "Naxalite issue is one of the issues. It is not a major issue. Whenever encounters or violent incidents take place in Telangana, it is blood of Telangana people that spills, whether they are policemen or Naxalites. We want the government to restore peace, stop the
encounters, revive the peace talks and show respect for human rights. It is inhuman to pick up anyone from
anywhere and kill him cold-bloodedly."
Also see: Let Rao quit first -- TRS dissident
The TRS was able to garner the support of 26 parties for the separate Telangana demand. This list includes as many as 13 UPA constituents such as the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Nationalist Congress Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the Pattali Makkal Katchi.
Outside the UPA, several parties, including the Bahujan Samaj Party, Rashtriya Loktantrik Dal and Janata Dal
(Secular) supported the demand for Telangana.
"There are 38 parties represented in Parliament. About 30 of them are supporting our cause. Consensus is slowly emerging on our demand. Over the last one year, I am satisfied with the work I did in Delhi. I created awareness all over the country about our demand for Telangana and educated the people on why we want it. Among the Left parties, the Forward Block and the Communist Party of India are supporting our cause. Communist Party of India-Marxist has some reservations."
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