Protests flare up across Telangana as PM Modi visits state

Hyderabad: Several protests broke out across Telangana on Saturday against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state.

Youth of the city marked their protests against the PM’s visit at various locations including KBR park and Osmania University.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the state to dedicate the Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited to the nation on November 12. He also held a public meeting ahead of the inauguration today.

Flags and black balloons with placards of “Go back Modi.. No entry to Telangana” were released by the Telangana Handeva Youth Force in KBR park while sloganeering against Modi’s visit on a large scale.

At Osmania University, around 50 students from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi Vidyarthi Vibhagam (TRSV) protested and shouted slogans against the PM’s visit with black flags. The Amberpet police soon detained them.

Siasat.com spoke to the general secretary of TRSV Karunakar Reddy who said that they were protesting against the ‘fake promises’ made by the Central government to Telangana.

“PM Modi came to power in 2014. Even though projects such as the Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR), and the Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited (RFCL) were promised to the state, there has been no development whatsoever. We are protesting against this,” Karunakar Reddy told Siasat.com.

He further said that the Prime Minister is coming only for vanity. “PM Modi is coming to the state for a photoshoot. He does not care about development. He has failed to deliver his promises,” he said.

Ever since the news of Modi’s visit to the state was announced, many anti-Modi posters have sprung up.

On November 10, a flex appeared in the Jubilee Hills area that said ‘Modi No Entry’ and ‘rollback 5 percent GST on handloom products’. It was put up by the Telangana Chenetha Youth Force.

Several banners were also spotted in different parts of Khairatabad against the Prime Minister’s six-year-old decision of reducing black money through demonetization, where he stated, “‘Give me 50 days, burn me alive if am wrong.’

In response to this, the poster read, “It is now 2195 days and counting, yet no improvement Modiji. Bye Bye Modi.”

This is not the first time that anti-Modi posters/banners/flexis have appeared in the city ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to the state. Earlier in July this year, posters targeting the saffron party appeared in L B Nagar.

Coal miners protest against privatisation

Not just in Hyderabad, protests have been reported in the Mancherial district where various trade union leaders and activists were detained by the police. They were protesting against the Centre’s decision to privatize coal blocks that affected the livelihood of many coal mine workers.

The protests were held in Srirampur, Bellamapalli, Ramakrishnapur and Mandamarri towns.

According to the protesting coal miners who wore black badges, giving a free hand to industrialists such as Ambani and Adani will plunder the country’s resources even more.

Singareni Collieries Company (SCC) trade union Telangana Boggu Ghani Karmeeka Sangham (TBGKS), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) and Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) were taken into preventive custody ahead of the PM’s visit.

TBGKS Leader Miryala Rajireddy, CPI state secretary Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao, INTUC vice president Dharmapuri, HMS leader Riaz Ahmed, APCLC leader Madana Kumaraswamy were among those detained.