Confrontation averted between Cong MLA supporters, TRS workers

Sangareddy (AP), Jan 24 (PTI) A confrontation wasaverted between the supporters of Congress MLA T JayaprakashReddy and TRS workers in Medak district today as the formerwas taken into custody while holding a road blockade toprevent TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao from going toSadashivapet town.

Reddy, who had vowed to block the way of Rao forallegedly making his party workers attack Congress leaders atpublic meetings in the name of Telangana, held a road blockadeat Pothireddypalle cross roads on the Hyderabad-Mumbaihighway.

Prior to the "rasta roko", Reddy held a meeting withhis supporters and hit out the TRS chief for allegedly tryingto take advantage of the separate Telangana agitation.

The TRS President was forcing Congress MLAs and MPs toquit their posts so that his party can win more seats in theevent of bypolls, Reddy alleged.

Rao is not sincere in his fight for separateTelangana, but wants to become Chief Minister of united AndhraPradesh by winning substantial number of seats by forcingelections, the ruling party legislator claimed.

Slamming TRS for trying to disrupt the public meetingsof Ministers and other leaders in the name of Telangana, hewarned the TRS leaders against resorting to such actions.

The Congress leaders are sincerely fighting forTelangana and the separate statehood can be achieved only bythe ruling party, Reddy maintained.

The Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC), headed byM Kodandaram, is a front put up by the TRS President, healleged. (More) PTI COR SJR RSY DEP

After the meeting, Reddy led a demonstration to the highway and blocked the road for more than an hour as hissupporters raised slogans against TRS and burnt Rao''s effigy.

TRS alleged that the supporters of Reddy roughed upits workers at Sangareddy town, the headquarters of Medakdistrict.

As tension prevailed in the town, Reddy was detainedalong with his supporters. Thus the TRS President had a smoothpassage to Sadashivapet.

Reddy''s tirade came against the backdrop of TRSworkers disrupting public meetings of state Ministers andother public representatives and asking them to quit theirposts in support of Telangana.

Alleging that the ''Rachabanda'' mass-contact programmestarted by the AP''s Congress Government is an attempt todilute the separate statehood agitation, Rao yesterday calledupon people to boycott it.

Attacking the Congress MLAs and MPs for announcingthat they would participate in the programme, the TRS chiefappealed to the people to drive away the ruling party leaderswho come to attend it.

Telangana JAC Convener Kodandaram yesterday demandedthat police register a case against Reddy for allegedlyattacking JAC workers, who wanted to question Ministers abouttheir stance on the statehood demand.