AAP's Prashant Bhushan faces division heat

HYDERABAD: Aam Admi Party (AAP) senior leader and national executive member Prashanth Bushan had to taste the ire of Seemandhra protagonists, when he announced the party's support for state bifurcation.

Addressing the party's volunteers meeting at AV College here on Saturday, the AAP leader said that demand for separate Telangana is justified as the people of the region hold those in power for the backwardness of it. He said the AAP supported smaller states as it believes in decentralisation of power.

However, his remarks over state bifurcation, evoked angry response from the the supporters of the united Andhra Pradesh, who demanded to know how can he support bifurcation.

'You should stick to corruption and other bigger issues and should not rake up the sensitive issue,' a Samaikyandra protagonist was seen shouting at Prashanth Bushan, while he was being escorted to the dais for addressing the public gathering.

Tense situation prevailed for some time, with both sides of the people raising slogans in favour and against the state bifurcation.

The sloganeering for and against the state bifurcation continued, even as AAP leader was addressing the medipersons from the dais. On Telangana issue, he reiterated that his party, which is against the very concept of the power in fewer hands and has been advocating for the decentralisation of power to village and colony level, supports the smaller states, hence it supports Telangana.

'However, the issue is much deeper. The very demand for Telangana is because of the power becoming concentrated among few and they neglecting the issues of the people of the region.

It is not just confined to Telangana but is present every where, hence we want a system in place, where people have more say, for that to happen decentralisation of the power is a must,' he explained.

On the other hand, those in the gathering, who came to join and support AAP from some parts of Seemandhra region, left the place, while some sat silent pondering over AAP's reason for supporting the smaller states.

Several Muslim leaders, who came to attend the programme, cheered Prashant Bushan's support for Telangana and raised 'Jai Telangana' slogans.

Meanwhile, a group of BJYM activists tried to gatecrash into the meeting raising slogans against Prashant Bushan, for his recent controversial remarks on deployment of army in Kashmir.

Even as the AAP volunteers tried to prevent them, police arrived and bundled off the activists in two jeeps. There after some police personnel were deployed at the venue to prevent any untoward incidents.