Pranab in Hyderabad to seek support

Hyderabad, July 1 (IANS) Presidential candidate of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Pranab Mukherjee arrived here Sunday on a day-long visit to galvanize support for his candidature.

Protest by a small group of pro-Telangana supporters greeted Mukherjee outside the Begumpet airport. Raising slogans of 'Jai Telangana', the protesters tried to stop his convoy but police foiled their attempt.

The protesters belonging to various pro-Telangana groups wanted Mukherjee to spell out his stand on the demand for statehood to Telangana.

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, state Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana and party leaders welcomed the presidential candidate.

Mukherjee drove to Jubliee Hall to address a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting. Accompanied by central minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Vayalar Ravi, he reached here by a special aircraft from Chennai.

After addressing the Congress MPs and state legislators, Mukherjee will meet leaders of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) at a hotel.

The Congress leadership reportedly tried to reach out to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) to seek their support but it was not clear if leaders of the two parties would meet Mukherjee.

It was also not clear if Mukherjee would call on Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu to seek his party's support.

TDP, TRS and YSRCP have not yet announced their stand on the presidential polls.