Kiran blames Centre for ‘bungling’

“I don’t want to be drawn into commenting on what happened in the Lok Sabha because such incidents should not happen. It is for the House to decide. But if this incident happened, the Congress should understand the gravity of the situation. Let us wait and see till February 21,’’ he said.

Amid speculations that he may resign, Reddy launched a scathing attack on his party’s high command. “My party accused the BJP of being communal. Then how come you break bread with them? Why do you invite them to a luncheon? You can have lunch with a communal party but you don’t want to talk to your own people? Aren’t you the one who is spreading poison?” he said.

Reddy also accused his party leadership of using undemocratic ways to table the Telangana Bill. “It is very undemocratic, the manner in which the Bill was tabled in Parliament today. This is no way to introduce a Bill of such importance. You cannot claim to be the largest democracy in the world but refuse to observe democratic rules and procedures,’’ he said.

The Congress, TDP and YSRCP have given calls for a bandh starting Thursday evening in several districts of Seemandhra. TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, while condemning the incident in Parliament, accused Sonia Gandhi and the Centre of using illegal methods to create Telangana.

Meanwhile, an uneasy calm prevailed across Telangana and Seemandhra regions. Fearing violence, shops and business establishments closed early.