Congress Wants KCR Apology For Varavara Rao Arrest

Deputy CLP leader in the Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir strongly condemned the arrest of revolutionary writer Varavara Rao and others when they tried to conduct a public meeting, "Pratyamnaya Rajakeeya Vedika".

Addressing a press conference at the Congress Legislature Party office on Monday, Shabbir Ali said that Varavara Rao and others were taken into custody by the police in a highly objectionable manner.

He said that in a democracy everyone had a right to hold protests and express his opinion. By denying Rao and his supporters permission to conduct the meeting, the Telangana government had violated their fundamental right to freedom of speech.

Further, senior leaders were manhandled by the police without even considering their age, he alleged.

He said that the Congress government had never imposed a ban on meetings although it had granted only conditional permissions in some cases.

Shabbir Ali demanded that KCR tender an unconditional apology to Varavara Rao and other leaders who were taken into custody in an illegal manner.

He also advised KCR to shed his arrogance which had been spoiling the atmosphere in Telangana. First the students of Osmania University had faced the wrath of the TRS government when they protested against the regularisation of contract employees. Later, farmers were beaten up by the police when they held demonstrations against erratic power supply. More recently, the TRS government targeted employees, and now it hit out at civil rights activists and organisations, he alleged.

The Congress leader said that Telangana was achieved due to the struggle by all the sections of the society. Therefore, KCR should not treat the new State as his "jagir" and behave in an arrogant manner.

Shabbir Ali said that KCR should take everyone into confidence if he was serious about the development of Telangana.

He also demanded that Varavara Rao and others should be given permission to hold their proposed meeting.

Speaking about the official celebration of Bathukamma, Shabbir Ali said that the festival signified felicitation of feminine power. Therefore, the Chief Minister should induct at least one or two women ministers in his Cabinet to give a real meaning to the official celebration of the Bathukamma festival.

He said that it was strange that KCR could not identify even one capable woman in his party who could be made a minister. He reminded that the Congress had 5 women ministers from Telangana - Dr J Geetha Reddy, Sunitha Lakshma Reddy, Konda Surekha, D K Aruna and Sabitha Indira Reddy. Therefore, it was highly condemnable that KCR had denied Cabinet berths to women completely, sending a wrong message among people that women were not capable of handling a Cabinet minister post.

He demanded that the Chief Minister induct a woman minister into his Cabinet immediately, at least on the auspicious occasion of the Bathukamma festival. (INN)