Amit Shah Must Apologise to Telangana People: Minister Ponnam Prabhakar

Telangana Minister Ponnam Prabhakar has demanded an apology from Union Home Minister Amit Shah ahead of his scheduled visit to Hyderabad on November 2. Speaking at a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan, Ponnam criticised Shah over his alleged remarks concerning the formation of Telangana and the state's martyrs. He questioned whether the Union Home Minister should make such statements about the state and recalled the BJP's earlier slogan, ‘One Vote, Two States’. Ponnam urged Shah to apologise to the people of Telangana. He also congratulated the state government on its legal efforts to prevent valuable government land from being encroached upon. The minister said Congress leaders and public representatives from Telangana would participate in the protest in Delhi under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, with the slogan ‘Vote Chor, Gaddi Chor’.

Ponnam also demanded that a caste-based census of Backward Classes be included in the national census. He said he would write to Amit Shah on the issue and meet public representatives from all political parties in Telangana to seek their support. He urged BJP leaders, including MP Laxman, Bandi Sanjay and Eatala Rajender, to clarify their stand on the BC caste census. Criticising the Centre's campaign in the name of protecting democracy, he raised concerns over allegations of voter deletions and electoral irregularities. He also urged the Union Home Minister to focus on issues in the northeastern states, including attacks on women in Manipur and allegations of Chinese encroachment in Arunachal Pradesh. Ponnam further expressed concern that a large rally in Hyderabad during the Diwali business season could affect traders and questioned the need for such a large-scale event.