Hyderabad, April 16 (IANS) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K. Taraka Rama Rao has launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing the party of harbouring deep-rooted animosity towards the state of Telangana.
Reacting to remarks made in Parliament by Member of Parliament (MP) Tejasvi Surya, who reportedly compared the formation of Telangana to the India-Pakistan Partition, KTR termed the comparison “utterly foolish” and a grave insult to the state’s identity.
KTR emphasised that Telangana was not a “gift” or an act of charity from any political entity. He reminded the public that the state was the hard-won result of a decades-long democratic struggle and the supreme sacrifices of thousands of youth.
He noted that from Prime Minister (PM) Modi to MP Tejasvi Surya, the BJP leadership has consistently spewed venom against the statehood movement.
Taking a sharp dig at local political representation, KTR characterised the silence of the eight BJP MPs and various Congress MPs from Telangana during the parliamentary session as “shameful”.
He accused these representatives of mortgaging Telangana’s self-respect in Delhi for political gain rather than defending the dignity of the people who elected them.
The BRS leader demanded an unconditional apology from both Tejasvi Surya and the BJP leadership. He warned that the people of Telangana are closely monitoring these insults. That failure to issue a retraction would confirm that Surya’s remarks reflect the BJP’s official “anti-Telangana” policy.
BRS deputy leader in the Telangana Assembly, T. Harish Rao, also strongly condemned the “highly insensitive” and “irresponsible” remarks made by Surya.
He said Surya’s comparison of the formation of Telangana state with the creation of Pakistan was not only factually incorrect but also deeply hurtful to the sentiments of nearly four crore people of Telangana.
“We demand an immediate and unconditional apology from Tejasvi Surya and the BJP. The party must clarify its stand and ensure that such irresponsible statements are not repeated,” he said.
Telangana Jagruthi leader K. Kavitha also came down heavily on Surya. She posted on X: “How dare you, Tejasvi Surya? You are not only insulting all those who fought for Telangana over six decades to fulfil the region’s aspirations and end the discrimination we faced, but you are also dishonouring the memory of the thousands of individuals who sacrificed their lives to make Telangana a reality.”
She demanded that all eight BJP MPs, including two Central ministers from the state, speak up or resign.
“You don’t deserve to represent people of Telangana if you cannot uphold the sanctity of our emotions,” she said.
–IANS
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