Politicians playing a dangerous game

Instigating communal trouble to unsettle rivals in the party has been used by Congress leaders in the past with success. “A political game is being played in the Old City. Definitely, there’s conspiracy in how the trouble was fomented. It is clear to everybody,” said Zahed Ali Khan, veteran editor of Siasat Urdu daily newspaper published from Hyderabad.

Leaders in the Old City admitted that they were expecting such “pre-planned” trouble for the past four to five months. A few efforts made to trigger violence failed but the one on Saturday succeeded. They maintain that the huge funds have flooded the Old City, to both Hindus and Muslims and they cite two instances to prove their point.

Prophet Mohammed’s birthday, Milad-un-Nabi, was celebrated in an unprecedented manner on February 26 last. “Does this community which is poor and backward have the funds for such grand celebrations,” commented a community leader on condition of anonymity.

Similarly, Hanuman Jayanti which used to be a small affair limited to temples has been turned into a gala public affair this time. Evidently both sides are being funded, he observed.

Madhu Yashki Goud, Congress MP stirred up a hornet’s nest by charging coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema political vested interests with formenting communal trouble in Hyderabad.

He told Deccan Herald that it was a shame that political parties and groups within them were creating animosity between people for their political ends. “They are exploiting poverty and unemployment of a section of the people, their vulnerability and their helplessness,” he said.

Another senior Congress legislator Shankar Rao also alleged that those opposing Chief Minister K Rosaiah were behind the riots to destabilise his government. Their allegations evoked sharp reaction from Congress leaders belonging to the Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, who called these critics  “madmen” and demanded disciplinary action against them.

Another agenda that is sought to be achieved is to scuttle Telangana statehood demand. Observers believe that the communal violence was being used to kill two birds: that is destabilise Rosaiah government and dilute the struggle for Telangana.
They insist that the developments point to a “nexus” of Andhra-Rayalaseema leaders across the political spectrum that is dominated by one caste that is keen on regaining the power it lost last September with the death of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash.

The effort of this group to install YSR’s son Jaganmohan Reddy as chief minister came to a naught and hence the ploy now being employed to destabilise the Rosaiah government to foment communal violence.

Even as this allegation is being trashed, the fact that city police commissioner A K Khan was the first one to state that the violence was “preplanned and deliberate” shows that he had the support of his political bosses in coming out in the open.
DH News Service