World Telugu Conference TRS Attempt To Gain Mileage

Telangana Congress leader K Jana Reddy on Friday expressed regret for not being able to attend the World Telugu Conference in Hyderabad as he had to attend Rahul Gandhi's oath-taking ceremony.

Gandhi will be taking charge as the Congress president, in New Delhi on Saturday.

Speaking to the media at the Assembly media hall on Friday, Reddy wished the conference a grand success, and extended his regards to Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who were attending the inaugural session of the conference.

On the occasion, the Congress leader also condemned the arrest of senior journalist N Venugopal and revolutionary writer Varavara Rao, who had given a call for boycotting the conference.

Reddy said that the state government should have invited people from all the parties to the conference, keeping aside all the differences.

"It is not correct to arrest someone," he said, and asked the Chief Minister to interfere in the issue and facilitate the release of those detained by the police.

Venugopal and Varavara Rao were released later in the day.

Also speaking on the occasion, Congress leader and MLA T Jeevan Reddy alleged that the TRS government was organizing the conference just to gain political mileage.

Reddy said that it was strange that the TRS government was not utilizing Telugu in its official communications properly but was showing such high enthusiasm to organize a world-level conference celebrating the language.

Claiming that there was a disparity in the education sector as the children of rich people were attending English-medium private schools while those of the poor were being sent to government schools where the mode of education was Telugu, Reddy said that such conferences were of no use as long as Telugu was not made compulsory in all schools of the state.

He also demanded that the government give 25% reservation for children of poor people in private schools as per the Right to Education Act.

Congress MLA Komatireddy Venkat Reddy also echoed similar views on the hosting of the World Telugu Conference in Hyderabad.

He ridiculed the state government for not being sincere enough about enhancing Telugu usage in the state.