Hyderabad: Opposition parties, including the Congress, BJP, Telugu Desam, Left parties, Telangana Jana Samithi and people's organisations are intensifying their agitation against the proposed move of the state government to construct a new Secretariat and Legisla-ture Complex after tearing down the old buildings.
The Opposition leaders who participated on Thursday in the Chalo Secretariat programme organised by the Democratic Telangana Forum led by former MP G. Vivek, resolved to mount pressure on the Centre to intervene to protect the existing Secretariat buildings and also protect the heritage structure Errum Manzil.
Before heading towards the Secretariat, the Opposition leaders including Ms D.K. Aruna, Mr Chintala Ramacha-ndra Reddy, Mr Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, Mr Addanki Dayakar, Mr L. Ramana, Mr Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy, Prof. M. Kodandaram, Mr P.L. Vishweshwar Rao, and Ms Sandhya addre-ssed the gathering at Dharna Chowk.
The Opposition leaders were taken into custody by the police when they tried heading towards the Secretariat and shifted to Musheerabad and other police stations.
The Opposition leaders cautioned the government that they will not allow it to demolish the buildings to construct the new Secretariat.
They said that the people were fighting for their right to water, funds and jobs and not for the dictatorship of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his family.
The Opposition leaders criticised the Chief Minister for neglecting the opposition despite their demand that they should be consulted and taken into confidence with regard to the construction of the new secretariat and legislature complex.
They appealed to people to realise that Mr Rao and his family were like a dictatorship and behaved as if their constituencies of Sircilla, Gajwel and Siddipet constitute the whole of Telangana state while other parts of the state are neglected.
They said it was the responsibility of the people to protect the heritage structures in the Secretariat and also Errum Manzil.
They said they would ask the Centre to intervene in the matter through the Governor by invoking Section 8 of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, where it is stipulated that the Governor is the custodian of government buildings in the common capital.
