Andhra CM talks tough, orders crackdown on Telangana protests

Even as the Centre and the Congress leadership is busy finding a solution to the Telangana stalemate, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has suddenly moved into repression mode. Unexpected decisions are now being taken in the state to clamp down the 28-day-long general strike in Telangana, which has brought life in about half of the state to standstill.

“We will have zero tolerance to any protest that cripples the life of people,” Reddy said on Monday. According to sources, Reddy has already instructed the police to be tough in handling the protestors including the government employees engaged in pro-Telangana protests.

The zero tolerance approach by Reddy is seen forcing the Telangana leaders toughen their stand. “The chief minister is playing with fire. We will retaliate. If the chief minister thinks that he can get away by taking a repressive approach in solving the Telangana issue, he is mistaken,” K Chandrasekhara Rao, the TRS chief, said.

Within hours of the go-ahead from the CM, the frontline leaders of the Telangana movement including M Kondandaram, the convener of the Telangana joint action committee were arrested in Hyderabad. It was only after protestors gathered in front of the police station housing Kodandaram, the police let go the Telangana leaders.