Ministers attack the Left, but YSR goes soft

The Congress leaders, particularly the ministers in the Rajasekhar Reddy cabinet, who did not dare to talk about the Mudigonda firing incident fearing repraisal from the people, started raising their voice after a couple of days.

Minister for Health Sambhani Chandrasekhar, who hails from Khammam district, was scared of going to the district on Saturday. He picked up courage and went to Khammam only on Monday and attacked the Communists, holding them responsible for the firing incident. Roads and Buildings Minister T Jeevan Reddy, Transport Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana, Marketing Minister Botsa Satyanarayana and others came down heavily on the Communists and the Telugu Desam leaders for trying to politicise the Bhooporatam issue. They even demanded that the government would have to file "attempt to murder case" against the Communist leaders for causing the firing.

Surprisingly, the Chief Minister has decided to go soft on the Reds. In a television programme on Sunday night, he said the cause for which the Communists had been fighting is the same for which the government is striving to achieve. "The Communists are our friends and they are giving support to our government at the Centre. We have a common principle of upholding the secularism. They have every right to fight for the land issue; and as a ruling party, we have every right to explain our programme in this regard," he said.

Apparently, YSR must have got an advice from the high command not to make any damaging statements against the Left, since there is every possibility of the Left theatening to withdraw support to the UPA government, if things precipitate. Hence, the change in CM's stand!!