Dharna Chowk protest: Vested interests' behind violence, KCR tells Governor
Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday met Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan at Raj Bhavan, and briefed him about the violent incidents that took place earlier in the day.
According to CMO sources, Mr Rao told the Governor that the state government has not yet taken a final decision on shifting Dharna Chowk but some parties and individuals, with vested interests, were trying to create law and problems in Hyderabad in the guise of agitations against shifting of the Chowk.
Mr Rao told the Governor that locals near Indira Park had moved the High Court seeking relocation of the Chowk and the court had asked the police to consider their request and suggest alternative locations.
“For this reason, the police is not permitting agitations at Dharna Chowk for the last two months. The police has suggested four new locations for the Dharna Chowk on four sides on the outskirts of the city so that they would not be any traffic or other problems for the citizens. However, some parties and individuals are adamant that Dharna Chowk remains at Indira Park. This shows they want to create trouble and violate court orders,” Mr Rao is learnt to have told the Governor.
Mr Rao also urged the Governor to expedite the process of resolving pending bifurcation-related issues between TS and AP since the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, will complete three years in 15 days on June 2.
As per the Act, the Centre will intervene to resolve the pending issues only for three years and after that period, the responsibility of resolving pending issues through negotiations lies with both the states.
Since Mr Narasimhan is the Governor for both the states, Mr Rao urged him to ask AP government to come for talks.
Violence instigated on TRS orders: Opposition
The entire Opposition, in one voice, condemned the police department as well as the ruling party, accusing them of instigating the violence at Indira Park against the activists demanding revival of the Dharna Chowk.
TJAC chairman M. Kodandaram said such blatant misuse of official machinery against the activists was never seen earlier.
He said that the police permitted some persons who claimed to be locals to stage a dharna against them.
Prof. Kodandaram also condemned the police for the lathicharge. “How can police, in civil clothes, sit in the opposite camp and attack us? We squarely blame the city police for this,” the TJAC chairman said.
He said the Opposition unity will continue and they will plan more such agitations against government’s “anti-people policies” in the future too.
TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, who led a team of Congress workers from Gandhi Bhavan to Indira Park accused the Chief Minister of suppressing democratic dissent by the Opposition and denying their right to protest at the Dharna Chowk.
Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy said: “How can the government organise a counter protest by the so-called locals and instigate attack on the protesters?”
Former MP V. Hanumantha Rao said he knew the locals for the last few decades; they had never raised any objection to dharnas. “They suddenly coming out openly and attacking protesters points it to be the handiwork of the ruling TRS,” he said.
CPM leader Tammineni Veerabhadram said that the police and government had at the last minute permitted protesters at the Dharna Chowk but played foul by encouraging locals in order to incite trouble.
CPI leader Chada Venkata Reddy said though the government had put a number of obstacles right from denying permission and later allowing it, the Opposition had successfully voiced its protest.
“At the end of the day, it was proven that the agitation by the so-called locals was orchestrated by the police and the ruling TRS,” Mr Venkata Reddy said.
