TRS leaders face public anger at Dasha Disha

​Warangal: The mood is clear. The TRS leaders, who are once greeted with cheers when they spoke at public forums, are now greeted with jeers as the TRS MLA D Vinay Bhasker and MP A Seetaram Naik faced public anger, when they spoke at Dasha Disha, a public debate organised by HMTV in Warangal on Saturday.

M Dharma Rao and Rao Padma of BJP, M Chukkaiah of CPM, T Srinivasa Rao of CPI, R Prakash Reddy of TDP, N Rajender Reddy and Seethakka of Congress, political analyst K Venkata Narayana, M Sahodar Reddy of TRS and retired Prof M Panduranga Rao took part in the debate.

Many speakers lauded HMTV for its initiative of Dasha-Disha, which contributed for separate Telangana movement and now highlighting public issues with the debate programme. Singers rendered songs depicting predicaments of different sections in the State. Few TRS workers created ruckus expressing anger at the criticism directed at the State government by many speakers. The anchor Rani Rudrama and HMTV staff have faced tough time in controlling the crowd appealing to let the debate continue smoothly while Dharma Rao said HMTV belongs to all without any political affiliations.   

The MLA also made repeated requests urging his party men and protesting student activists to maintain order. A Karthik of Kakatiya University and Bala Lakshmi of Osmania University JAC, claiming that Telangana movement started at universities, said students are now forced to fight for their rights. They are being targeted by the government using police. Varsities are being run under police security.  

There is no recruitment in varsities, hence Deputy Chief Minister K Srihari should be removed from cabinet. The situation in the field of education and employment has not changed in State. The government must issue Jumbo DSC notification, they demanded.

Rao Padma complained of misuse of power by the ruling TRS government. Ch Keerthi Reddy of BJP said nearly 2,500 jobs in Genco were filled up without notification and added that retired employees were given jobs at the cost of unemployed youth and the promise of hereditary jobs in Singareni was not fulfilled.

MP A Seetaram Naik claimed that students, who used to pay thousands of rupees as fees, are now offered free education with 42 residential degree colleges and 520 SC/ST/BC minority residential schools and junior colleges. It is wrong to say that the government did nothing.  

D Satyanarayana of Mahabubabad highlighted the issue of Telangana activists, who are still facing police cases for taking part in statehood movement. Activists are arrested even before staging protests and the government’s suppression is reminding us of constraints imposed on statehood agitators, he stated. 

Telangana Jana Samithi leader T Sheshu accused the government of denying permission to stage protests and meetings. Statehood movement staged for jobs but the issue is not addressed yet. Seethakka complained that many are enjoying power and position now, who never took part in Telangana movement. Rythu Bandhu Scheme (RBS) is not benefitting tenant farmers and podu farmers while rich farmers are getting lakhs of rupees and Podu lands are snatched away from farmers.

Chukkaiah and Venkata Narayana wanted RBS extended to tenant and podu farmers. Rs 6 lakh ex-gratia must be given to families of farmers, who committed suicide. Dharma Rao accused the State of diluting the Centre’s Fasal Bhima Yojana by failing to contribute its share to the scheme. CPS employees’ leaders D Hari Kumar and others displayed placards seeking the government to revive old pension system. 

Electricity employees, BILT workers and people from different walks of life took part in the programme and expressed their views on the four years of TRS.