Airport Renaming Rocked By Congress, TDP Protests
Congress leaders protested before the Rajiv Gandhi statue at Somajiguda, while TDP leaders protested at the Indira Park against the Assembly resolution.
Hyderabad | 22nd November 2014
The controversy over the naming of the domestic terminal of the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad after former Chief Minister late N T Rama Rao turned intense with both the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party holding dharnas against each other.
While senior leaders of the Telangana Congress organised a dharna before the statue of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at Somajiguda here on Saturday, the TDP leaders too staged a protest at Indira Park against the resolution passed by the State Legislative Assembly against the renaming.
TDP senior leader Motkupally Narasimhulu also observed a day-long fast in support of the renaming of the RGAI's domestic terminal.
Addressing the dharna camp, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu condemned the opposition for the renaming of the domestic terminal after NTR.
Making an indirect attack on his Telangana counterpart K Chandrashekar Rao, Naidu said some people who were opposing NTR's name had begun their political careers with the blessings of the TDP founder. He said that the TDP, in its 2009 manifesto, had promised to name the domestic terminal after NTR. He asked why the TRS, which was an ally, did not object to the same in 2009 itself.
"If NTR was born in Andhra, then where was Sonia Gandhi born?" he asked.
Naidu described NTR as a messiah for the poor who introduced several welfare schemes like the Rs 2 per kg rice scheme for the first time in the country. He also claimed that NTR gave freedom to the people of Telangana from 'Patel and Patwari'.
Meanwhile, the Congress leaders too registered strong protests. Leader of the Opposition K Jana Reddy described the Centre's proposal to rename the domestic terminal as unconstitutional. TPCC President Ponnala Lakshmaiah hailed the resolution passed in State Legislative Assembly, and informed that dharnas would be conducted on Monday at all District Headquarters.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP V Hanumantha Rao accused the Centre of creating enmity between the peoples of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He said that he would raise the issue in the forthcoming winter session of Parliament. (INN)
filed in: Protests, Rajiv Gandhi Shamshabad International Airport, N T Rama Rao, Telangana Congress, TDP