Pseudo-secularist Naidu stalling T-process: Shabbir Ali

Hyderabad, Dec 15: Congress MLC and PCC Vice-President Mohammad Ali Shabbir on Sunday accused Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu of trying to stall the process of Telangana formation by joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Speaking to media persons at the Assembly media point here, Shabbir Ali described Naidu as “pseudo-secularist” who is struggling hard to forge an alliance with the BJP. He said that Naidu has been making desperate attempts to return to the NDA fold and that was the reason why he shared dais with BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on two occasions in the recent past.

Shabbir Ali said that the TDP chief appears to have realised that he would be rejected by the people in next elections due to his dual stand on Telangana issue. While he gave letters to the Centre supporting Telangana, he created obstacles in the T-formation process through one or the other means. He demanded that Naidu should take one stand on the statehood issue. He said Naidu could emulate YSR Congress president Jagan Mohan Reddy who reversed his stand on Telangana and now supporting united Andhra Pradesh. He said such a move would save Telangana people from being cheated by the TDP.

The Congress leader said that Naidu’s proximity with the BJP was clearly aimed at stopping the Telangana formation process. He reminded that it was due to its alliance with the TDP, the BJP-led NDA did not grant statehood for Telangana while in power. Now Naidu wants the BJP to stall the Telangana Bill in the Parliament to delay the process. However, he said that the Congress party was firm on its commitment towards Telangana and it would be a reality in the next few weeks.

Shabbir Ali wondered as to how Naidu, who expressed regret for not breaking his ties with the NDA after 2002 communal riots of Gujarat, could decide to sail along the same leader (Narendra Modi) who is accused of being responsible for the genocide of Muslim community. He said that Naidu’s sharing of dais with Modi for the second time has exposed his pseudo-secularism and people would teach him a fitting lesson in the next elections.

– INN