IANS/Hyderabad

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s remarks on Telangana have triggered a storm with his deputy and several senior leaders of Congress from Telangana lashing out at him yesterday for going against the party leadership decision.
While some condemned his defiance of the central leadership and demanded his resignation, others accused him of spreading falsehood and misleading people.
A day after Reddy asked the central government to address all issues including status of Hyderabad before taking any step for formation of Telangana state, the Telangana leaders came down heavily on him for defying the party leadership.
Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha said history would not forgive those working in defiance of the leadership.
“A commander should not be a conspirator. He should be a statesman,” Rajanarasimha said without naming Reddy.
Addressing a ‘meet the press’ programme here, the deputy chief minister made it clear that those who have migrated from Seemandra (Rayalaseema and Andhra) and are living in Hyderabad are residents of the city and they shouldn’t be called settlers.
Referring to the chief minister’s observation that bifurcation would lead to many problems, Rajanarasimha wanted to know “who were the creators of these problems”.
Union Science and Technology Minister, S Jaipal Reddy, said the decision taken by the leadership was binding on all.
Hyderabad is an integral part of Telangana, he stressed.
On the chief minister’s remark that the state’s division will create a problem of river water distribution, the central minister said the inter-state river water board would look into the issue.
Speaking at Mahabubnagar, he said the leadership would take note of the chief minister’s statement.
Congress spokesperson Renuka Chowdary condemned the chief minister’s statement. She said people coming from various regions lived together in Hyderabad.
Former state Congress chief D Srinivas said Reddy was spreading falsehood on the Telangana issue. He alleged that the chief minister was misleading the cabinet and the people.
MP G Sukhender Reddy said the chief minister was making provocative statements and hence unfit to continue in the post.
Protesting Reddy’s remarks, pro-Telangana students yesterday tried to lay siege to the chief minister’s camp office. Police arrested the protesters.
Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) announced that rallies would be organised across Telangana for three days from today to protest against the chief minister’s remarks.