Members cutting across party lines today expressed anguish over the desecration and destruction of statues of Telugu luminaries in Hyderabad, suspecting it to be a planned action by some people.
Members cutting across party lines today expressed anguish over the desecration and destruction of statues of Telugu luminaries in Hyderabad, suspecting it to be a planned action by some people.
Raising the issue during zero hour in the Rajya Sabha, M Venkaiah Naidu (BJP) said as many as 17 statues of Telugu icons who brought name and fame were destroyed and thrown in to Hussain Sagar lake in Hyderabad yesterday.
"It is a crime against our culture, insult to our heritage," Naidu said adding it was a sad day for democracy as media was also not spared.
"We must all combine to condemn and send a strong message" against such acts, he said.
Several other members joined him in condemning the incident in which pro-Telangana mob destroyed Andhra heroes statues and threw them in the lake. The members said some extremists appeared to have got into the Telangana agitation.
MV Mysura Reddy (TDP) said the government must book the culprits.
D Raja (CPI) said it was an assault on the great culture of Telugu people. Police should have tackled the situation in a better way, he said.
"Government cannot remain silent on the Sri Krishna report" which went into the issue of creation of a separate Telangana, he said, adding that the state continued to be in political turmoil.
N Janardhana Reddy (Congress) said, "It is not a matter of Telangana. It is something beyond that."
He said people were carrying weapons which showed that it was a planned action and not a mere accident. "It is up to the Centre and state government to enquire" into the incident, he said.
Deputy chairman K Rahman Khan said the entire House joined in condemning the incident.
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