Showering praises on the Nizams’ rule in the erstwhile Hyderabad State by MIM Floor Leader in the Assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi drew flak from the Seemandhra legislators from the TDP and the Congress during the debate on the A.P. Reorganisation Bill on Monday.
There were frequent interruptions from Seemandhra legislators including Leader of the Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu to Mr. Owaisi, incomplete speech as the latter started hailing Nizams from the word go.
Referring to the remarks of TDP member P. Keshav and Legislative Affairs Minister S. Sailajanath against Nizams’ rule made earlier in the House, the MIM leader sought to know whether criticism of the Nizams would help keep the State united.
Refuting the claims of Seemandhra leaders that it was they who had developed Hyderabad, the MIM leader said that the city had been a developed one since the times before independence.
Mr. Owaisi said that the Seemandhra leaders had ruled 44 out of 58 years in AP and held the latter responsible for the ‘under-development’ of Rayalaseema.
Mr. Naidu’s claim that the Telugu Desam had developed Hyderabad with IT sector and that the party had done it in just nine years what the Nizams could not do in 400 years provoked Mr. Owaisi further to reel out a long list of industries, institutions, hospitals and others set up by the Nizams.
He also took a dig at Mr. Naidu by stating that the claim of the TDP for the development of the State has been aptly answered in ballot twice.
“People do not trust the TDP because of its oscillation on the Telangana issue and ties with the BJP. After apologising to Muslims for allying with the BJP in the past, Mr. Naidu is again tilting towards that party,” he alleged, sparking protests by Seemandhra TDP MLAs who rushed to the well and podium, requesting the Chair to restrain Mr. Owaisi’s deviation from the debate.
Chief Whip Gandra Venkataramana Reddy, who too intervened, said there were good things done by the Nizams, but the bad was twice of the good.
D. Narendra of the TDP said that there was contribution from Andhra in the development of Hyderabad from the beginning.
