Lagadapati is irresponsible & provocative

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha Member V Hanumantha Rao on Sunday condemned the statement made by Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal where he said that pro-united Andhra Pradesh parties will get about 240 seats while the pro-bifurcation parties will get only about 40 seats if elections were held.

Speaking at the birthday celebrations of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi at the Gandhi Bhavan, Mr Hanumantha Rao said “The statement is not only condemnable, but also irresponsible and provocative.” He added that the Vijayawada MP was following the recommendations of the eighth chapter of the Justice Srikrishna Committee Report and hence was making such outlandish statements.

“The High Command will take a decision on Telangana soon,” the senior leader stated. Mr Hanumantha Rao also stated that Karimnagar MP Ponnam Prabhakar has put Telangana interest over his own political career by saying that he would refuse any berth in the Union Cabinet if offered.

He said that Mr Prabhakar has already made it clear that he would reject the option if offered to him by the High Command since he felt that his accepting the post at this juncture would be detrimental to the separate Telangana cause.

“Mr Prabhakar’s willingness to reject a Union Cabinet post shows his commitment to a separate Telangana state,” Mr Hanumantha Rao said. Besides this, Mr Hanumantha Rao said that he and other members of the delegation had submitted their report to Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on the grievances faced by people of the Coastal districts whose lands were acquired for industrialisation.

The delegation had had gone to Coastal Andhra districts to meet and hear the grievances of the dispossessed people and inquire if they were properly compensated. Mr Hanumantha Rao appealed to Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy to ensure that strict action is taken wherever lapses have been pointed out.

Besides this, he appealed to state government to take back the lands allotted to software companies which have not established their units in the state. “We are taking inspiration from Mr Rahul Gandhi and thus fighting for the dispossessed families,” Mr Hanumantha Rao said.