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AP situation worse than TN's: Congress team

Former Union minister Salman Khursheed, heading a two-member All India Congress Committee team, said that the general impression among party leaders in Andhra Pradesh was that "the present situation in the state was worse than that of Tamil Nadu".

Khursheed and Imran Kidwai were deputed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to study the increasing attack on minorities, women and dalits in the state.

He told the media that those familiar with the ground situation had told the team that, if action should be contemplated under Article 356, then Andhra Pradesh should come before Tamil Nadu for imposition of President's rule.

He said the team would submit its report to Sonia and convey her the perception of the Congress Legislature Party, the state Congress unit and senior party leaders.

He said it could be 'a beginning of a substantive movement' as the Congress was expected to take a strong stand over the next few weeks even on developmental issues including the continuing suicides by farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Khursheed alleged that there was some sort of correlation in the increased incidents of police barbarity against the minorities, women and dalits in the state after the Telugu Desam Party extended support to the Bharatiya Janata party government at the Centre.

Expressing his party's deep concern over reports of police atrocities, he said the whole nation was appalled and shamed. "The harrowing tales of merciless, shameless and inhuman conduct of the police personnel is unimaginable and the uniformed persons, behaving like animals, is disgusting," he added.

When asked about the TDP's contention that these were "only isolated cases and there is no breakdown in the law and order in the state", Khursheed shot back, "A shameful act in isolation is a shameful act, and this is how the fascist forces act initially."

Describing the TDP's support to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition at the Centre as the 'greatest betrayal', Kursheed said the time was ripe to educate the people of the state about the 'unforgivable act of political treachery' committed by TDP president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu.

Saying that no immediate visit has been planned for Sonia Gandhi to the state, he said his team had come down to express their solidarity with the people of the state who were betrayed by the TDP after it had won seats in the recent Lok Sabha poll assuring to fight communalism.

Khursheed said the fight against communalism was 'not a slogan of convenience' for the Congress, which believed that communalism was the 'biggest threat' to the nation.

UNI

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