Congress MPs from Seemandhra under fire

Angry agitators wait outside Chiranjeevi's house

Union tourism minister K Chiranjeevi was in the city to attend a seminar but shuddered at the thought of returning home in the Jubilee hills area as an angry batch of Seemandhra agitators were eagerly waiting for him.

The megastar ran into his house under heavy police protection, while the mob wanted an explanation.

The situation was no different for other Union ministers and MPs from Seemandhra who were trying to return to their home towns and constituencies after the monsoon session of Parliament.

The reason behind the increasing attacks on Congress leaders from Seemandhra region is because they refused to tender resignations and join in the agitation.

“We will do anything to keep the state united. But resignations at this juncture will only hurt our strength and a chance to voice our concerns in Delhi,” a senior Congress MP said at a meeting here on Saturday which was attended by 15 MPs.

The MPs are wary about their prospects of returning to Parliament, post elections.

At the meeting, the leaders were at a loss for words while explaining their predicament.

Though they are united in not resigning from their posts, they have no action plan at hand.  Loksatta MLA Jaya Prakash Narayan, considered to be an intellectual, was forced to cancel his “Telugu Tejam” and return to Hyderabad on Sunday.

The meeting also considered the option of breaking away from the Congress and to float a new party to pacify voters.

“The problem is that there is not a single Congress leader in the Seemandhra region who can take the agitation forward, let alone winning the elections. So that idea was also dropped,” another MP, whose house was under siege by agitators back home, observed.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, state Minor Irrigation Minister T G Venkatesh faced the ire of Samaikyandhra movement in his home town of Kurnool.

The agitating lawyers raised slogans against the minister. They also demanded the minister to tender his resignation in favour of Samaikyandhra movement.  Some agitators also hurled footwear and stones at the minister’s convoy.

In the melee, a chappal hit the minister. Incensed over the incident, Venkatesh reminded the protesters that he was the first person to advocate Samaikyandhra.