Telangana Rashtra Samithi Floor Leader Etela Rajender on Wednesday condemned senior Telugu Desam Party leader Payyavula Keshav for exhorting Seemandhra leaders to form suicide squads in the event of division of state.
Talking to media persons at Assembly Media Point, Mr Rajender demanded that the State and Union Governments’ respond to Mr Keshav’s statement seriously and initiate criminal proceedings against him as per the law for making such provocative statements and vitiating the atmosphere. Mr Rajender added that Mr Keshav has no moral right to continue in his elected post after making such grave and irresponsible statements which could disturb communal harmony. Mr Keshav had said that he would oppose division of state at any cost, even if his body was blown to pieces and exhorted Seemandhra leaders to form suicide squads at a round-table conference of TDP leaders from Seemandhra regions in Guntur earlier in the day. The TRS leader further said that he would seek legal opinion and would get in touch with legal experts to proceed against the TDP leader. Mr Rajender further called on Telugu Desam Party Telangana Forum members to take note of Mr Keshav’s statements and “at least now open their eyes and make their stand clear on the separate statehood demand.”