Strong batsman is back, says Lagadapati

He was referring to Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is a good cricketer.

August 11, 2013 03:11 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 09:31 pm IST - VIJAYAWADA:

MP Lagadapati Rajagopal addressing a gathering at Budameru centre after taking out a rally as part of Samaikyandhra agitation in Vijayawada on Saturday. Vijayawada (Central) MLA Malladi Vishnu is seen. Photo: V. Raju

MP Lagadapati Rajagopal addressing a gathering at Budameru centre after taking out a rally as part of Samaikyandhra agitation in Vijayawada on Saturday. Vijayawada (Central) MLA Malladi Vishnu is seen. Photo: V. Raju

“The strong batsman of Samaikyandhra is back. He was retired hurt for a while, but now he is back,” said Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal.

Asked why the response to the recent announcement was not as fast and strong as it was after the December 9, 2009, announcement, the MP said the party’s strong batsman was “retired hurt.”

He was referring to Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is a good cricketer.

Journalists at the Meet-the-Press programme immediately caught on and re-phrased all their questions using cricket as metaphor.

“Why is the strong batsman standing at the crease without hitting the ball?” asked a reporter.

The MP replied that the strong batsman was not standing at the crease. He was actually retired hurt for about 10 days. “Now, he is back.”

The MP said that keeping the State united and preventing Telugus from becoming the butt of jokes in all other states in the country could not be achieved by a single person. The entire team was needed to keep the State together.

A few reporters took the cricket metaphor a little more down the road and asked if the Congress High Command was doing “match fixing” for the Telangana team.

Asked what he thought about the angry activists of the Samaikyandhra movement likening the elected representatives to dogs seated on golden thrones such as in the Vamana poem, Mr. Rajagopal said he never betrayed the people. A regional party that should fight for the self-respect of the Telugus had let them down badly.

The Congress which was for a Second SRC in 2001 had changed its stand because of the other parties. But now, the Congress could reconsider its decision seeing the response of the people. The other political party would also have to change their stand. If they don’t do it, the people would make them do it shortly, he said.

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