Hyderabad: The fight over renaming the domestic terminal of the Shamsabad airport after NTR intensified with the Telangana TD and the Congress holding protests and fasts in support and in against of the decision respectively.
Senior TD leader M. Narasimhulu kept a fast protesting the Telangana Assembly’s resolution to oppose the new name. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu also attended the protest gathering.
Almost at the same time, Telangana Congress leaders V. Hanumantha Rao, K. Jana Reddy, Ponnala Laxmaiah, D. Srinivas gathered at the Rajiv Gandhi statue near Panjagutta circle protesting against the Centre’s decision to rename the Shamshabad terminal after NTR.
Slamming Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Mr Naidu said it was late NTR, who gave political birth to Telangana.
Saying that the decision was taken and implemented way back in 1999, Mr Naidu asked, “Where was KCR in 1999? Was he not in TD then? Why did he not oppose then when the terminal was named after NTR?”
He reminded his Telangana counterpart that as a Chief Minister and supporter of NDA in 1999, he could have removed Rajiv Gandhi’s name, but he did not do it as a mark of respect.
Union minister of state for science and technology Sujana Chowdary, who made M. Narasimhulu to call off his fast in the evening, said nothing on the earth would remove NTR’s name from the Shamshabad domestic terminal.
Meanwhile, the Telangana Congress leaders warned of mass agitation, if efforts are on to remove Rajiv Gandhi’s name.
