Unidentified miscreants on Tuesday night caused extensive damage to the statue of Potti Sriramulu at Vanasthalipuram Crossroads on the city outskirts, leading to tension in the area.
According to a complaint filed with the Vanasthalipuram police station by local residents, the damage was noticed early on Wednesday morning. The residents lodged a complaint with the police, seeking action against the guilty.
According to the police, the miscreants left a letter at the debris of the statue.
The letter stated that they had resorted to demolishing the statue to protest against the criticism of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President K Chandrasekhar Rao by Ongole MP Venugopal Reddy.
The miscreants demanded that Venugopal Reddy withdraw his remarks against KCR and issue an apology.
The miscreants, in the letter, warned that they will not tolerate criticism against KCR, and demanded that the statue of Potti Sriramulu be replaced with that of an Arya Vysya leader of the Telangana region.
Earlier, Venugopal Reddy had lashed out at KCR, who had said that he would stage a demonstration at the Speaker's podium in Lok Sabha and stall the proceedings of the House till the introduction of the Telangana bill.
Responding to the TRS chief's statement, Venugopal Reddy stated that such acts will not be tolerated and will not serve any purpose. The Ongole MP further added that KCR would be dragged out of the House if he tries to carry out his threat.