Namaste Telangana launched

Stating that it would truly be a ‘people’s newspaper’ to counter the ‘pro-Andhra Media’, Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday launched a new Telugu Daily, ‘Namaste Telangana at the Ravindra Bharati in the presence of media luminaries.

KCR told the gathering that the new daily is aimed to effectively counter the ‘distorted’ image of Telangana being presented by the existing newspapers in the state. He also promised that a new Urdu Daily, Adaab Telangana would be launched on August 2 this year, the first day of the Holy Month of Ramzan. “Telugu and Urdu are the only Telangana languages and that is why there is a need to bring out an Urdu Daily for the people who speak that language,” KCR stated.

“Colonial Capitalists are misinterpreting the history of Telangana through their media. There is more to Telangana than the infamous Razakars. We aim to counter this distorted version through the newspaper,” KCR said.

“Namaste Telangana would give equal priority to the issues of Dalits and Minorities living in the Telangana region apart from the separate statehood agitation,” he said.

The TRS chief also ‘advised’ the editorial board of the new daily to mould it to become a ‘truly people’s newspaper.’ The main edition of the new daily was released by Eshwaramma, the mother of Srikanth Chary who had immolated himself over the separate statehood demand at LB Nagar, while the features edition was launched by P Mallaiah who had cornered Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu to make his stand on Telangana clear at Warangal.

The Sunday Magazine of the newspaper was launched by the widow of constable Krishnaiah who had committed suicide for Telangana. Speaking on the occasion, Telangana Political Join Action Committee convenor Kodandaram pointed out that there were different angles to the news story carried by the three main Telugu dailies on the No- Confidence Motion issue recently.

“These differences reveal the status of the media in the state today,” Prof Kodandaram said and added that the new daily would take a balanced approach and highlight the sentiments of the Telangana people.

Telangana ideologue Jayashanker lashed out at the existing media by alleging that information was being misinterpreted and facts concealed during the past five decades.

“The newspapers have resorted to negative publicity on Telangana agitation and the media barons have poisoned the minds of the Seemandhra people against their Telangana counterparts,” Mr Jayashankar charged.

“Distorted stories that the fertile deltas of Krishna and Godavari would turn into deserts if Telangana was separate is such example of the poisoning of the Seemandhra people’s minds,” he said.

“The existing newspapers have failed to highlight the insults subjected to the Telanganaites,” Mr Jayashankar alleged and added that the new daily would be able to do justice to the people of the region.

Namasthe Telangana Editor Allam Narayana said that the daily would counter the sustained neglect of the state’s culture, traditions and festivals.

Negative stories like the destruction of statues on Tank Bund during Million March have shown that the entire Telangana as a criminal society, Mr Narayana claimed, while pointing out that ‘cultural destruction of the region during the past 50 years was neglected.

Mr Narayana denied that the new daily would be relegated to being a mouthpiece of KCR and the TRS. “This is propaganda by the ‘anti-Telangana forces,’ he said, adding that this was an attempt to finish off the daily in its nascent stages itself.