Toorpu protests against KCR's 'selfish interests', arrested

The police on Monday arrested Sangareddy Congress MLA Toorpu Jayaprakash Reddy alias Jagga Reddy and his supporters for staging a dharna on National Highway No 9 and disrupting traffic.

Mr Jayaprakash Reddy was staging the protest to prevent Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao and Telangana Political Joint Action Committee convenor Kodandaram from visiting Sangareddy, as part of their own boycott of the Racha Banda programme.

Addressing a gathering at Patancheru on National Highway No 9, which connects Hyderabad-Mumbai, Mr Jayaprakash Reddy alleged that KCR was misusing the Telangana agitation for his selfish interests. He said that the TRS chief was misusing and misguiding people in the name of Telangana agitation.

Raising `KCR Go Back’ slogans, the MLA and his supporters burnt an effigy depicting KCR on the Highway. They also set two vehicles on fire and staged a rasta roko.

Mr Jayaprakash Reddy alleged that KCR was playing with the sentiments and lives of people in the name of Telangana agitation. He said that the call to boycott `Racha Banda’, a programme launched to address the people’s problems across the state by Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, was an extension of KCR’s selfish interests.

 “Though we stand by the call for a separate Telangana state, the TRS leader is projecting ours as traitors of Telangana and resorting to attacks,” the MLA pointed out.

He defended the vandalism resorted to by his supporters by saying, “Our supporters resorted to the protest to protect themselves from being attacked by KCR’s supporters.”

The Sangareddy MLA further alleged that Telangana MPs Gutta Sukhender Reddy and Madhu Yaskhi Goud were colluded with the TRS leader and speaking against him. He said that the two leaders have launched a malicious campaign against him.

Mr Jayaprakash Reddy vowed to obstruct the tour of KCR and Kodandaram in Sangareddy, ‘come what may.’ He also threatened to picket the Telangana Bhavan in Hyderabad along with his supporters if KCR did not mend his ways and stop boycotting welfare programmes.