Andhra Pradesh   

BJP cadres stage protest

HYDERABAD: A stretch of road near Babu Jagjivan Ram’s statue in the busy Basheerbagh area turned into a bhajan pandal for a while on Tuesday as the State Bharatiya Janata Party activists staged a unique protest singing ‘bhajans’. They expressed resentment against the withdrawn affidavit on Rama Sethu and also Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s remarks against Lord Rama.

Led by State unit president Bandaru Dattatreya, the functionaries sang bhajans stating that Rama Sethu was constructed by Lord Rama and criticised Mr. Karunanidhi. They rendered “ Raghupathi Raghava Rajaram” and “Sundarakanda”. A cultural troupe enacted skits from the Ramayana.

Talking to reporters, former BJP president Bangaru Laxman warned that the party activists would obstruct Sethusamudram project if Rama Sethu was dismantled. He urged the Centre to find an alternative alignment for the project.

“It was the desire of the people that no harm should be done to Rama Sethu,” he said. He urged the Centre and the Tamil Nadu Government to give up their ‘rigid’ stand in view of the people’s desire.

Mr. Laxman wanted the Centre to appoint an expert committee to find the alternative alignment and to look into the project’s ecological feasibility. If the Centre went ahead, the party workers would stop the work and be prepared for any sacrifice.

Mr. Dattatreya said there was no repentance either from the Congress leaders or their UPA partners. Voters would teach a fitting lesson to them in the next elections. The Rama Sethu issue and ‘vote-bank politics’ of the Congress would be the main issues in the polls, he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Engagements: Tirupati
Port officer at his wits’ end
Fruits distributed
Elocution contest
NSS gesture
YSR coming on October 7
Watchdog to monitor realtors likely
They swear by the ideals of the Mahatma
Lack of staff delays minor irrigation schemes
Thousands throng Bhadrachalam
Youth undertakes novel protest
Housing dream comes true
Competitions for hearing-impaired
At a snail’s pace
Pyramid society rally
Sethusamudram row
Rotary Club gesture
Meat traders fined
Stamps on centenary of Satyagraha
Shariat guidance on phone
Gandhi jayanti
LIC agents meet
Awareness rally
Training programme on growing plants
Fans Speak
Last date extended
BJP cadres stage protest

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu