KTR slams Pawan Kalyan 'No outsider can dictate terms to Telangana'

BRS working president KT Rama Rao had hit back at Jana Sena chief and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Tuesday, dismissing his remarks on Telangana as ill-informed and politically motivated. He asserted that Telangana was the fiefdom of its people and no outsider would be permitted to dictate terms to the State.

?Telangana belongs to its four crore people who bled, sacrificed, and fought for this land. The people who struggled for Telangana have every right to protect its identity and self-respect,? he said.

Speaking at the Meet the Press programme organised by the



Press Club of Hyderabad on Wednesday, Rama Rao responded point-by-point to Pawan Kalyan?s recent remarks, which triggered a political controversy between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He said any attempt to belittle the sacrifices behind the Telangana movement would be firmly resisted.

At the same time, he stressed that Telangana remained welcoming to all. People from Andhra Pradesh and other States had lived, worked and invested in Telangana without facing discrimination even after bifurcation, he said. ?States may be divided administratively, but people should continue to live together with mutual respect,? he added.