The Vana Deeksha, a tree plantation drive organised by the Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited, on Saturday turned ugly with two top Congress leaders throwing abuses at each other during the programme.
The programme was orginally aimed at launching a special drive to plant 54,000 saplings across the city. However, senior Congress leaders converted the programme into a political battle field. As soon as the event began, LB Nagar MLA D Sudheer Reddy and Agriculture Market Committee chairman Ram Mohan Goud displayed their political rivalry in open. After Malkajgiri MP Sarve Satyanarayana planted a sapling at the venue at LB Nagar, Goud tried to plant a sapling. However, he was prevented and pushed away by Sudheer Reddy by claiming that he was violating the protocol. Both the leaders hurled abuses at each other.
Both the leaders were pacified by Malkajgiri MP and HMR Managing Director NVS Reddy to facilitate the conduction of the official programme. Interestingly, Sarve Satyanarayana focused his entire speech on the growing differences within the Congress party and their consequences. During his hour long speech, Satyanarayana appealed to the Congress leaders to bury their difference to ensure that the party retains power in the next general elections.
However, its seems that Satyanarayana's speech left no impact on the two warring Congress leaders. Soon after the event was over, the followers of Sudheer Reddy and Rammohan Goud started shouting slogans against each other. Out of rage, Sudheer Reddy tried to assault his rivals, but was prevented by other leaders. However, Goud's supporters threw slippers at Sudheer Reddy in protest.
The political clash went on for about half-an-hour in full public view. The police had to resort to a mild lathicharge to disperse the supporters of both the leaders. Meanwhile, Sarve Satyanarayana intervened and pacified both the leaders again. The entire political drama also disrupted the regular traffic on the National Highway 9. The political battle between the two leaders completely overshadowed the ambitious plantation programme.
Senior leaders including MLC Farooq Hussain, GHMC corporators D Surekha Bhaskar, Subhashini and Y Bhargavi Chandrasekhar Reddy and other leaders looked completely helpless on the occasion. (INN)