The Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, on Thursday claimed that his party’s hold in the Telangana region was much stronger than that of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti’s (TRS). Mr Naidu made the observation following protests by Telangana activists at a meeting in Miryalguda marketyard where he discussed the problems of farmers.
This is his first visit to Nalgonda district in Telangana region after the agitation for a separate state picked up last year.“The Telugu Desam has supported the sentiments of people on the Telangana issue. This kind of protest at a meeting of another party is not correct. The TRS is trying to gain publicity,” Mr Naidu remarked.
Earlier, as Mr Naidu began to address farmers and others at the marketyard, a group of TRS activists emerged from the crowd and raised ‘Jai Telangana’ slogans.Mr Naidu asked the agitators to leave the premises saying, “The Telugu Desam is more powerful than the TRS in Telangana region. Farmers are in trouble and don’t play with their lives.
” Later, police caned the Telangana activists, bundled them into a van and whisked them away.The TD president invited farmers from the crowd and asked them to explain their problems. Most of them complained of not getting remunerative prices.
DC
