CPI march to Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad demanding abolition of governor's post

Hyderabad, Dec 7: Tension prevailed during a protest organised by the Communist Party of India (CPI) in Hyderabad on Wednesday demanding abolition of the post of governor.

Alleging that the governor has become a puppet in the hands of the BJP government at the Centre, the CPI had given a call for 'Chalo Rajbhavan' to press its demand for abolishing the governor's post.

Holding party flags and banners and raising slogans, the CPI workers tried to march towards Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the governor.

Led by CPI Telangana secretary K. Sambasiva Rao, the protesters were carrying placards with slogans "scrap governor system" and "Raj Bhavan a puppet in the hands of BJP". The CPI leaders including Chada Venkat Reddy and Aziz Pasha reached Khairatabad railway station and then tried to proceed towards Raj Bhavan.

However, the police erected barricades on Raj Bhavan road and stopped the protestors. As the CPI workers tried to force their way, the police pushed them back.

Scores of police personnel detained the protesters. The CPI workers were physically lifted and shifted to waiting police vehicles.

CPI secretary Sambasiva Rao said their party has taken a clear stand on misuse of governor's post by the Narendra Modi government. He said ever since Modi came to power at the Centre, all institutions like the Election Commission, ED, CBI and IT were misused.

Terming the post of governor a "British legacy", he said the governors were creating problems for democratically elected governments in various states. "This poses a threat to democracy," he said.

Venkat Reddy said Sarkaria Commission had made a clear case for abolishing the governor's post by underlining that India has federal structure and the Centre is only a coordinator.