Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao late on Friday night expressed grief over the death of Army job aspirant Damodar Rakesh, a native of Warangal district, in the firing by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) at the Secunderabad railway station on Friday.
In a media statement, the CM held the Centre’s flawed policies responsible for the death of Rakesh. He announced ex gratia payment of Rs 25 lakh to the family of Rakesh.
The CM offered condolences to Rakesh’s family members and reiterated that the Telangana government would come to the aid of the people and protect them. He assured that the government would provide a job to one of Rakesh’s family members.
For much of Friday, however, the Chief Minister had not reacted in public to the violence at the Secunderabad railway station on Friday against the Agnipath armed forces recruitment scheme.
Rao maintaining silence even after BJP leaders including Union minister G. Kishan Reddy and BJP state president Bandi Sanjay accused the TRS of being behind the violence became a subject of heated debate in party and political circles.
Official sources said the CM spoke to Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and DGP M. Mahendar Reddy over phone soon after violence broke out. He reviewed the law and order situation and asked the officials to take immediate steps to maintain law and order and bring the situation under control in coordination with the Central agencies concerned.
Party sources said the CM continued to be busy with his exercise of launching the national party to take on the BJP, and held meetings with senior leaders in this regard on Friday.
Party circles maintained that the violence triggered by BJP leader Nupur Sharma’s remarks against Prophet Mohammad followed by the Agnipath scheme proved that Rao was right in cautioning the people against the BJP’s ‘communal and divisive politics’ and Modi government’s ‘flawed policies’.
Party sources said that during his visit to a few states recently, Rao had told the local media that if the BJP was not checked, it would lead to violent incidents which would affect the country’s economy, investments resulting in loss of jobs and livelihood not only for Indians living in the country but also those Indians settled abroad for livelihood.
These statements were proving correct they said citing examples of demands cropping up in few Islamic countries against employing Hindus and asking them to leave their countries following Nupur Sharma’s remarks.
