The Hindu : New Delhi News : Babli issue: Naidu, Narayana arrested in Delhi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 12, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

New Delhi

New Delhi

Babli issue: Naidu, Narayana arrested in Delhi

Special Correspondent

Do not play with Telugus’ self-respect, Telugu Desam president warns Centre

Opposition leaders of Andhra Pradesh march towards Prime Minister’s office
Dharna at Jantar Mantar protesting construction of project by Maharashtra

— Photo: V. Sudershan

Strength in numbers: TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu, along with members of CPI, CPI (M) and TRS, during a protest rally in New Delhi on Thursday.

NEW DELHI: TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu, CPI State secretary K. Narayana, TRS MP B. Vinod Kumar, MPs, MLAs, senior leaders and hundreds of cadres from the three parties were arrested by the police here on Thursday when they defied prohibitory orders and marched towards Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s office seeking his intervention in the Babli row with Maharashtra.

Earlier, the leaders, along with cadres who came here in a special train from Hyderabad, staged a dharna at Jantar Mantar to urge the Centre to prevent Maharashtra from going ahead with the construction of the project and 11 other barrages across the Godavari. The project would badly affect irrigation on 18 lakh acres in six districts of Telangana region, they said.

All the arrested were released in the night. Notable among them were: MPs K. Yerran Naidu, E. Dayakara Rao (both TDP), S. Sudhakar Reddy (CPI), and MLAs Kadiyam Srihari, N. Janardhana Reddy, V. Narendra Reddy, D. Umamaheswara Rao, K. Atcham Naidu (all TDP) and Ch. Venkat Reddy (CPI).

Earlier, speaking at the dharna site, Mr. Naidu warned that the issue was a challenge to the “self-respect and prestige” of Telugus and if the Prime Minister, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy failed to take action, the Congress would get thrown into pieces in the State in the ensuing Assembly/Lok Sabha polls. He advised the Centre not to play with the “Telugu power” and recalled that it was TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao who first showed that power in Delhi earlier.

Mr. Naidu specifically blasted his bête-noire Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy asking him to prevent the construction if he really had courage and strength. “Otherwise, you are not fit to rule the State even for a minute.”

He also wondered why the Congress MPs and Central Ministers from the State were “sleeping” over the issue. Should they not quit from the Parliament and ministry and topple the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) when the fellow Telugus were in distress? he questioned.

Even in the Almatti dam issue with Karnataka, it was TDP which “saved AP’s interest” taking up the issue first; due to the party’s stir at least 100 tmc of Krishna water was prevented from getting utilised by Karnataka.

Mr. K. Narayana said Dr. Singh and the Chief Minister should feel ashamed for making the opposition parties stage dharna here instead of themselves solving the issue. Mr. Vinod Kumar criticised Dr. Reddy for describing the issue a minor one.

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

New Delhi

News Update

Stories in this Section