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  India   Resentment against Botsa Satyanarayana family blamed for violence

Resentment against Botsa Satyanarayana family blamed for violence

Published : Oct 8, 2013, 2:00 pm IST
Updated : Oct 8, 2013, 2:00 pm IST

Hyderabad: While the agitation, spanning more than 60 days, across all Seemandhra districts has been largely peaceful, the question plaguing political leaders is why the agitation took a violent turn

Botsa Satyanarayana_1_1_0.jpg
 Botsa Satyanarayana_1_1_0.jpg

Hyderabad: While the agitation, spanning more than 60 days, across all Seemandhra districts has been largely peaceful, the question plaguing political leaders is why the agitation took a violent turn only in Vizianagaram district. What was the reason for targeting Pradesh Congress Committee chief Botsa Satyanarayana in his hometown One theory is that it was a reaction to the Lakshmipet incident of June 2012 when Dalits and Kapu communities clashed over a land dispute. Five Dalits died in the incident. Satyanarayana’s family was blamed for their deaths. More recently, Satyanarayana’s silence on the bifurcation issue has angered the prounited AP faction. At first, Satyanarayana supported the State’s division. Later he changed his stand and supported Samaikyandhra, but he did not do so very forcefully. By contrast, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy strongly opposed the State's division and criticised the party's central leadership many times for its decision. CPI state secretary K. Narayana says that more than one factor was at play here. Satyanarayana’s family dominates many businesses in the Uttarandhra area and this has often been resented. Samaikyandhra agitators and enemies of the the Satyanarayana family together targeted his properties, according to this version. Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao condemned the attacks on Satyanarayana’s properties and so did former minister and senior MLA J.C. Diwakar Reddy. Congress MP V. Hanumantha Rao alleged that some persons from the upper castes are behind the attacks on Satyanarayana's assets in Vizianagaram.