Former minister Dr. P Shankar Rao, on Monday, demanded a high-level probe into the ongoing Samaikyandhra agitation.
Addressing a press conference in the Assembly premises, Shankar Rao alleged that the agitation is being sponsored by certain leaders with vested interests, and said that these leaders need to be exposed through a probe by the Central Bureau Of Investigation.
He remarked that the agitation in the Seemandhra region is superficial and stage-managed.
Commenting on Sonia Gandhi's announcement of an official committee, he demanded that the agitation be withdrawn immediately for the smooth division of Andhra Pradesh to carve out a Telangana state.
Shankar Rao condemned the attack on Seemandhra advocates at the APNGOs Bhavan on Sunday. He said that Andhra Pradesh is still one state, and that any incident of violence would bring disrepute to the culture of Telangana.
He also condemned the arrest of TRS leaders Etela Rajender and Swamy Goud during the party's "
peace rally" in Hyderabad on Monday. He said that by preventing peaceful rallies, the police are trying to disturb the atmosphere in the state capital.
The former minister also condemned BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu for criticising Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Remarking that the BJP is in the "ICU", he said that "secular-minded people", especially the minorities, that he said constitute 25% of the country's population, would never vote for the BJP in the next elections. (INN)