Don't get entangled in tribal land tussles: TRS to leaders

Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leadership has asked the leaders in the districts to stay away from controversies surrounding the lands of tribals and not to take law into their hands embarrassing the government.

The TRS leaders are caught in between rules and the vote bank politics as the leaders have been seen abusing and attacking the officials in support of the tribals in the agency areas.

There have been two incidences in the span of two days where the TRS leaders have been in tussle with the officials over the issues of tribals. Asifabad Zilla Parishad Vice Chairman Koneru Krishna was involved in an attack on a woman forest official.

Similarly, Kothagudem MLA Vanama Venkateshwar Rao was booked for obstructing the forest officials for building a wall.

Chief Minister and TRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao, party working president K T Rama Rao and also Forest Minister A Indrakaran Reddy condemned the incident involving the Zilla Parishad vice chairman.

The Centre too had to intervene, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said he would not tolerate the attack on government staff.

According to sources, the party leadership has asked the leaders not to get involved in unnecessary controversies.

The leaders have been asked to bring to the notice of the District in-charge Minister or to the party's working president if there are any serious issues but not take law into their hands.

However, a section of the leaders believe that the leaders were supporting the tribals.

A TRS leader said the leaders were trying to support the tribals because they were given assurance of the land as compensation for their lands and when the officials were taking up plantation the agitated tribals protested.

When asked, Minister V Srinivas Goud said MLA (K Konappa) was good in nature as he solves the issues of people in his constituency.

However, whatever they are doing should be done under the purview of law because nobody is above the law, he said.