Mild tension prevailed here as the Telangana Praja Front tried to hold a meeting against prohibitory orders. Revolutionary poet P Varavara Rao and others were taken into custody and later let off.
Earlier, the police denied permission to the public meeting scheduled by the TPF but the leaders declared that they would hold the meeting at any cost.
Protesting against the police and the State government’s attitude, the activists took out a rally, raising slogans. As many as 50 activists were arrested and lodged at the KU police station. Later, the police gave permission for the public meeting at 6 pm with conditions. The meeting was held at a private function hall amid security.
Speaking to newsmen, Mr Varavara Rao said Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was following a bad tradition of denying permission to public meetings. He questioned why KCR was afraid of letting people express their views. He said the meeting at Warangal was organised to commemorate 20 years of the ‘Warangal Declaration’ that defined the Telangana movement.
“Why is the Chief Minister so scary? Why does he not want us to speak? We shared the same stage during the separate Telangana movement. We have so many memories together. We are here only going to discuss the points of Warangal Declaration and remind people of that historic moment. KCR is forgetting that we were able to achieve Telangana only because of the sacrifices of students,” Mr Varavara Rao said.
He alleged that Mr Chandrasekhar Rao was bringing up more and more projects along the Godavari belt with the sole aim of displacing the adivasis and the dalits. “KCR promised that he would implement naxalite agenda in the State but has failed to do so. But encounters have increased. This will not continue for long. Democracy will prevail and people will eventually win,” he stated. The public meeting went off peacefully. Several people from across the State attended the meeting.
