Congress Tries Rally Against Secretariat Shifting

In their first ever agitation after losing power eight months ago, the Telangana Congress leaders and workers put up an impressive show by attempting to take out a rally from Gandhi Bhavan to Raj Bhavan in protest against the proposed shifting of the Secretariat to Erragadda.

The rally, which began on a split mode, ended up uniting all the warring groups of Congress party.

Led by TPCC President Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Vice-President Mohammed Ali Shabbir, Greater Hyderabad Congress president Danam Nagender and other leaders, hundreds of workers started marching towards the Raj Bhavan. However, instead of moving together, the leaders started walking in smaller groups along with their followers.

The city police did not allow them to walk even for half-a-kilometre, and started taking all groups into preventive custody near the Nampally railway station, one after the other.

The Congress activists raised slogans against the TRS government and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, and the decision to shift the Chest Hospital to Vikarabad to construct a new Secretariat.

They said that they would never allow the government to shift either the hospital or the Secretariat.

Former MPs M Anjan Kumar Yadav, Ponnam Prabhakar, Rajaiah and Madhu Yaskhi Goud, and TPCC Working President Uttam Kumar Reddy were the first ones taken into custody. Later, Shabbir Ali and others leaders were arrested by the police.

The police personnel allegedly used excessive force while arresting Ponnala. It caused a fracture in his left hand, and he was seen screaming in pain while being shifted in a vehicle to the Goshamahal Police Stadium.

DCP Central Zone V B Kamalasan Reddy said that the Congress leaders were arrested as they had taken out a rally despite being denied permission on Friday.

He said that the Congress leaders and workers had violated the prohibitory orders and caused traffic jams on the entire stretch from the Mozamjahi Market to the Assembly building.

The Congress leaders continued their protest at the Goshamahal Police Stadium.

Meanwhile, a team of doctors advised Ponnala to get admitted to a hospital as he was suspected of having fractured his left hand. Later, he was taken in an ambulance to the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences where he was admitted. (INN)