The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Lok Satta decries threats against non-locals

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Monday, Jan 21, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Lok Satta decries threats against non-locals

Special Correspondent

‘Caste, religion, language and region should not be pursued at the cost of the nation’

HYDERABAD: The Lok Satta has said that the threats by certain parties and individuals against non-locals who pursued businesses or acquired lands for industries in Telangana was unconstitutional.

Lok Satta president Jayaprakash Narayan warned in a press release that the country would be in great danger if sectarian impulses were brought to the centre stage of politics.

Caste, religion, language and region did play a role in politics but they should not be pursued at the cost of the Nation.

Unconstitutional

Recalling the Indian Constitution, he said citizens enjoyed the right to practice their businesses or acquire properties anywhere in the country, except Jammu and Kashmir and the north-east for local reasons.

To threaten them against exercising their right was unconstitutional.

Dr. Narayan also warned that stoking parochial or sectarian interests would hazard democracy and integrity of the country.

Of course, people had a right to seek a separate State or merger of States within the Constitutional framework.

But, they could not close their eyes to India as a single Union.

Real issues

Real issues facing people as river water sharing or equitable development could not be wished away by demands for maintenance of status quo, separate State or merger of States.

Honest and transparent attempt to address problems of backwardness in Telangana, Rayalaseema and north coastal and better developed districts of the State had not been made by governments which, on the contrary, exposed their hypocrisy and failure of leadership by constituting regional development boards without funds or powers, he said.

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