Komati reaps the wrath of teachers

NALGONDA: Minister Komatireddy Venkata Reddy’s high-visibility participation in Sakala Janula Samme activities in the last three days cut no ice with Telangana teachers in his native district of Nalgonda. Fresh from his histrionics in the state capital, the minister turned up at a public meeting in Nalgonda Wednesday and received slippers, water bottles and even chairs from the audience.The reception got so hostile that the police stepped in to cane the protestors. Three persons, including a TV cameraman, was injured in the melee.The ‘Porugarjana’ programme was organised by TJAC and Telangana Teachers JAC at Clock Tower in Nalgonda to express solidarity with the strike by government employees of Telangana.The minister along with MPs Gutta Sukhender Reddy and Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy arrived uninvited at the meeting.As the trio stepped onto the dais, the teachers began to raise slogans against Komatireddy and some of the activists demanded that he resign his post before expressing solidarity with employees.Rajagopal Reddy, the minister’s brother, and Sukhender Reddy tried to convince them saying that the minister would resign his post on Oct. 1.However, the teachers refused to listen to heed their pleas and asked them to leave which led to a heated argument with the Congress activists.As the Congress leaders started to step down from the dais, someone hurled a water bottle at them and Congress activists reacted in like manner.Within minutes, the venue turned into a battle zone with Telangana activists and Congress cadres throwing chairs, slippers and water bottles at each other.A few protestors pelted stones on Venkata Reddy besides also targeting Sukhender Reddy.To rescue the minister, police caned the agitators and the Congress leaders made a hurried retreat.