Jaipal says 'India first', TRS demands clarification

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi on Saturday condemned the alleged statement made by Union Petroleum Minister S Jaipal Reddy that he does not belong to Telangana and demanded clarification from him.

Talking to media persons at the Telangana Bhavan, TRS politburo member B Vinod Kumar demanded that Mr Jaipal Reddy explain to the people of Telangana why he said that he was not a Telanganaite.

Mr Jaipal Reddy had earlier in the day told the gathering at a function to herald in the new Pradesh Congress Committee president Botsa Satyanarayana, that he did not belong to either Telangana or Seemandhra regions. “India is first and foremost,” he had said.

Reacting to this, Mr Vinod Kumar demanded that Mr Jaipal Reddy must elaborate on his words and clarify if he was against Telangana or if he was in favour of an integrated Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader K Kesava Rao, perhaps realising that the Union Minister’s comments could be seized by the pro-Telangana parties, told media persons that Mr Jaipal Reddy’s comments were made in the context that the Congress is a National party and as a party member, he belonged to the entire Nation.

Mr Kesava Rao quoted the Union Minister as saying that the Congress is the only National party in the country, with the Bharatiya Janata Party ruling only three states and being relegated to third place or even lower in the rest of the country, and the Congress leaders belong to the Nation.

Mr Vinod Kumar also said that the Telangana Ranabheri, which was organised amidst tight security in Tandur on Friday, was intended to target the TRS and not organised to give a boost to the Telangana agitation.

He also accused the Congress of resorting to delaying taking a decision on separate Telangana.