The participation of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) members in the Republic Day ceremonial parade at Jagtial fort, has led to strong protests from Congress leaders and seeking stern action against officials who are responsible for it.
After 10 days of the incident, in a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee they urged him to act against the officials who had allowed the VHP activists to take part in the Republic Day celebrations.
In his letter, TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy deplored that during the 68th Republic Day celebrations held at Jagtial district headquarters, instead of exhibiting the tableaux depicting the theme of national integrity and development, the district administration had allowed the VHP activists to participate in the official parade along with organisational flags and symbols violating the Constitution.
The former minister said that it is distressing that Hindu fundamentalists took part in the Republic Day Parade. It is even more painful that a young IAS officer, the district collector, accepted a salute from the VHP contingent during the parade, he added. He requested the President to look into the matter and initiate appropriate action against the erring officials “as the issue is concerned with national integrity and secularism.”
Earlier, Congress MLA and former minister T Jeevan Reddy, who represents Jagtial Assembly segment, wrote another letter to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao seeking action against the officials responsible for the incident.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders protested that the Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana pole near the Charminar in Hyderabad, where former Prime Minister Rajiv had hoisted the Congress Party flag during his visit to the old city of Hyderabad in 1990, was cut for the Mushaira programme of TRS MP K Kavitha.
Congress leaders such as Marri Sashidhar Reddy, Rapolu Anand Bhaskar and P Sudhakar Reddy, led by V Hanumantha Rao, staged a dharna at Chairmnar yesterday. Stating that the pole was cut to set up a stage for Kavitha’s programme, Hanumantha Rao alleged that this incident shows the cruel attitude of the TRS leadership towards the Congress Party, which delivered statehood to Telangana.
