TRS’ show of strength in South-T

NALGONDA: Buoyed up with the success of Telangana Rashtra Samiti Vidyarthi (TRSV) meetings at Nalgonda, Bhongir and Suryapet early this month, the TRS is now leaving no stone unturned to make Thursday’s public meeting at the NG College grounds a resounding success.

Senior leaders of the party, camping in the district for the past four days, are making allout efforts to mobilise people from all the 12 assembly constituencies in the district.

They hope to gather some 2 lakh people for the meet. This is also being seen as TRS show of strength, particularly in the wake of the huge success of the Telugu Desam Party’s BC Garjana at Warangal.

The Nalgonda public meeting, the party leadership hopes, will disprove the criticism that the TRS is a North Telangana phenomenon.

Of the 12 assembly constituencies in the district, Congress has six, the CPI and the CPM two each and the Telugu Desam and the TRS one each. Significantly, the Congress, TRS, CPI and the CPM fought together during the last elections.

The meeting has also assumed significance as the resignation letters of party MLAs, MPs and MLCs, including that of party chief K Chandrasekhara Rao, will be publicly handed over to party ideologue Prof K Jayasankar. The resignations are meant to pressurise the Government to speed up the process of carving out a Telangana state.

T-Congress leaders to meet Sonia next week

HYDERABAD : Senior Telangana Congress leaders continued their parleys ahead of their proposed visit to Delhi in the first week of February.
Former MP S. Rajeswara Rao on Tuesday hosted lunch for the senior Congress leaders at his guest house on the city outskirts. CWC member G. Venkataswamy, V. Purushottam Reddy, APSRTC chairman M. Satyanarayana Rao, MLCs -- K.R.Amos, Palvai Goverdhan Reddy and B. Kamalakar Rao and Nizamabad MP Madhu Yaskhi attended.
While the Congress leaders were tight-lipped about the outcome of the meeting, sources said that the leaders discussed the modalities of presenting their case before the high command.
The meeting is believed to have unanimously decided that the leaders should insist that he high command concede Telangana at any cost when the meeting with party president Sonia Gandhi materialises in the first week of February.
Sources said the meeting felt that when parties like BJP, CPI and others had spelt out their stand and the TDP was seriously discussing the issue within the party, the Congress would be isolated if it failed to decide on statehood.
They were highly critical of the remarks made by Marketing Minister M. Mareppa. Deriding his statements, they said the Minister was belittling the Telangana leaders only to save his skin as he was sure to be dropped from the Cabinet in the next reshuffle. They pointed out that it was unbecoming of a Minister to utter such words against party colleagues.


from andhracafe

Mareppa language humiliating T-people : Jeevan Reddy

HYDERABAD : Roads & Buildings Minister T. Jeevan Reddy sharply reacting to the remarks made by his Cabinet colleague M. Mareppa (Marketing) on Telangana issue recently, said the language used by Mareppa in this context was humiliating to the people of one region
At a press conference here on Wednesday, Jeevan Reddy referred to the statement issued by Mareppa that “Telangana is not cigarette or beedi to be given just like that for the asking” and said while expressing opinion on an issue, one should not hurt the feelings of others. Instead, one should speak on such an issue with a sense of responsibility.
Jeevan Reddy said he too was for a Telangana state. “There is no second opinion as far as this is concerned.” However, it was not an easy problem to solve

CPI ready to support a bill on Telangana

HYDERABAD : Communist Party of India national council general secretary A.B. Bardhan on Tuesday announced that his party would support Bill on formation of Telangana if it was introduced either in state Assembly or Parliament.
Maintaining that there was an “overwhelming support” among people to the cause of separate Telangana, the CPI leader told mediapersons that it was for the Congress to introduce a Bill in this regard.
“We will not oppose the Bill... we will support,” he said. Bardhan reminded the Congress that Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Chattisgarh were carved out following people’s movements for smaller states.
The respective state governments took initiative and started the process by passing Bills seeking separation in their respective Assemblies. He warned that the second States Reorganisation Committee would stir the hornet’s nest.
On the CPM’s opposition to Telangana, Bardhan said he was aware of the former’s stand but would know from them the severity of the stand. Bardhan dismissed the theory of smaller states struggling for existence stating that backwardness was prevalent in bigger states too.
Bardhan said the CPI, along with other Left parties, would work for an alternative to both the Congress and BJP which had been pursuing similar economic and foreign policies. He, however, was of the view that forging of alliance should not be a mere electoral adjustment. On the possibility of an electoral understanding with Chiranjeevi, the veteran politician quipped: “Let him first announce the setting up of political party.”

from andhracafe

Telangana state is no distant dream

After nearly four decades of struggle for a separate Telangana state, the issue seems to have reached a flash point. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi declared that all its elected representatives -- 16 legislators, six MLCs, four MPs and others in the local bodies -- will resign on March 6 if the process for formation of the state is not initiated in the budget session of the Parliament.

The development enables political parties, leaders, cadres and people of both regions to have clarity on the issue.

The Perspective

The first battle for separation of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh erupted in 1969 under the leadership of Dr Marri Chenna Reddy. However, he betrayed the people who put their trust in him and actively participated in the movement. The Congress suppressed the movement by terrorising the people and manipulating its leader. The movement disturbed the lives of thousands of people in some way or the other. It was a big blow to the people, who came to the conclusion that politicians will only take them for a ride and benefit from their urge for a separate state.

Despite the country becoming independent in 1947, Telangana continues to be under the rule of outsiders in some form or other. The Nizams were ruling the region at the time of independence. The newly formed Indian government toppled the Nizam's government by force and handed it over to Andhra, another new state carved out of the then Madras state. A few conditions imposed on Andhra Pradesh to treat Telangana well were thrown into the dustbin by the rulers.

The merger of Telangana with Andhra was a historical blunder committed by the then rulers at the national level. The Andhra leaders might have misguided the national leadership that the people of both the regions are one the same wavelength since they speak Telugu.

The people of Telangana first realised the fraud in the 1960s, but the movement was mercilessly trampled upon by the rulers in Andhra with the help of the central government as well as a few selfish politicians from Telangana.

The blow to the movement was so drastic that later generations could not even think of uttering the word Telangana, leave alone demand a separate state. The concept was stigmatised by the media, which is in the hands of Andhra's rulers. The Telanganites were treated as second class citizens.

The discrimination is everywhere. Telanganites are in a minority in government as well as private sector. Telanganites are never considered for any higher positions in government or private corporations

Revival of the movement

The stigma around the concept of a separate Telangana state continued until K Chandrashekhar Rao took up cudgels and relaunched the battle for a separate state in 2001. The force with which the movement re-emerged was seen in the mammoth support the TRS could garner. Sensing the seriousness of the issue, the Congress struck an alliance with TRS in the 2004 elections and captured power both in the state and at the Centre.

Once again, the Congress betrayed the people of Telangana. It is the Congress that had been betraying the people of Telangana from the 1950s, but this time it was more blatant than all earlier betrayals. Congress president Sonia Gandhi [Images] and even the then chief minister candidate Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy wore pink flags in the election campaign during the 2004 elections, indicating that they were all for statehood to Telangana and will facilitate it if they came to power.

Once they occupied the seats of power, they showed their true colours with the party at the national and state level making all possible efforts to defuse the issue. It's time now for Congress leaders from Telangana to wake up. This is a lifetime opportunity for the politicians to do some 'service' to the people. They will become heroes or else they will be politically crucified for their treachery.

The demand is unanimous

Today's demand for a separate state is coming as a one single voice of all the four crore people of the region. No one person born here is opposed to it. This is a historical necessity. This is not any rebellion. This will in no way affect the integrity of the nation. It will only pacify the feelings of the people and will improve relationship between the people of both states. The fact that hardly any marriages take place between the peoples of Andhra and Telangana is a glaring example of the differences between the regions. Both cultures are different. The socio-economic conditions are different.

KCR is the real hero

When Chandrashekhar Rao launched TRS with the sole agenda of achieving a separate Telangana state, many were not sure about his commitment. Prior to the TRS, a few outfits had tried to launch political parties with the same aim but had vanished. Except for one outfit launched by a former minister and Telugu Desam Party leader P Indra Reddy, who died an untimely death in an accident, no other movement was taken seriously by the people of Telangana.

Now the situation has changed so drastically that even those opposed to a separate Telangana state cannot dare open their mouths publicly, whereas in the pre-TRS times, strong supporters could not air their thoughts. The seasoned politician in KCR brought the issue a legitimacy and dignity by adopting a series of inimitable political tactics.

The deadline

The March 6 deadline is creating ripples throughout the country. If the TRS fails to achieve any result and compromises to set another deadline, it is going to be the death knell for the movement. As of now the deadline seems to have sounded a death knell to Congress leaders from Telangana.

Why Telangana?

A set of people with a set of cultural ethos are entitled to have their own government. Any violation of this natural law amounts to an intrusion of sovereignty.

Though the language spoken by both Andhras and Telanganites is called Telugu and is mostly similar, the two languages are different. The way it is spoken is different. In fact, most of the language is not understood by each other, unless you are used to it.

There are glaring cultural differences between the people of Andhra and Telangana. Smaller states are better for people as well as for governments in terms of accessibility and distribution of resources.

Three states � Uttaranchal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand � were created recently on the basis of the above facts and they are doing very well.

The demand for Telangana state is the oldest of such demands throughout the country. Similar demands exist for Vidarbha, Bundelkhand and Gorkhaland.

Srinivas Roopi is a professional journalist with 17 years' experience

From Rediff

Venkata Swamy ask YSR to expedite T-statehood

Venkata Swamy ask YSR to expedite T-statehood


HYDERABAD : Even as the party high command rejected his plea for an emergency meeting of the Working Committee on Telangana, Congress MP G. Venkataswamy has demanded that Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy convince the party leadership to expedite a decision on separate Statehood.
He recalled that Dr. Reddy submitted a memorandum signed by 40 Congress legislators in favour of separate Telangana to Congress president Sonia Gandhi while he was the Opposition leader. “Dr. Reddy has initiated the process and he has to put an end to the game,” he said adding that he would take the matter to the people of the region.
Participating in a dharna organised by the joint action committee of Telangana Employees and Teachers Association here on Monday, he said the prevailing strong sentiment would adversely impact political parties including the Congress in the next general elections if they did not make their stand on Telangana clear. People were ready to make any sacrifice for the region and the sentiment could not be underestimated.
Balladeer Gadar demanded that the Congress announce its stand on Telangana at the earliest. Charging the Congress with provoking people to take to violent path, he said the Chief Minister was encouraging his Ministers to instigate people with their statements.



From :andhracafe

Telangana issue divides Congress into two camps News Analysis

HYDERABAD: What started off as a competition with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to be seen as a champion of the separate Telangana cause prior to the 2004 elections, has now turned into a confrontation within the ruling Congress party.

The TRS is sitting pretty politically by announcing its resolve to pressure the Centre by resigning en masse from the legislatures on March 6 and even collecting letters from its members.

Party in turmoil


On the other hand, the Congress finds itself in a turmoil with pro-separation leaders, unable to make any headway with the Centre, accusing Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy of being the main hurdle in achieving Telangana.

By all available indications as also his interactions with the media, Dr. Reddy is unambiguous in his views on Telangana.

He is clear that statehood cannot be achieved in the absence of consensus among political parties at the Centre. Such an agreement, as is too well known, is impossible unless a miracle happens and the CPI (M), Samajwadi Party and the Telugu Desam retract from their opposition to separate Telangana. Against this backdrop, Dr. Reddy stated that AICC president Sonia alone could not take a decision as the present regime at the Centre was a coalition of several parties.

By the same token, the AICC has made evident its disinclination to take any new initiative on Telangana before the 2009 elections, more so in the wake of pro-separation leaders vetoing its move to constitute a second States Reorganisation Commission (SRC).

High command’s snub


It even administered a snub to the Congress seniors by summarily rejecting G. Venkataswamy’s, demand to convene a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting to discuss Telangana besides asking them to defer their planned meeting with Ms. Sonia Gandhi at New Delhi on January 29.

The AICC has to reckon with the impact that any decision on Telangana will have on the Congress party’s electoral prospects in 2009. In a situation, a hypothetical one at that, where it announces its clear intention to carve out a separate Telangana in 2008, it will have to factor in highly contentious issues relating to sharing of resources between the various regions besides demands for separation from other sub-regions.

Seniors fear rout


Once its fundamental plank is undermined, the TRS will definitely up the ante by demanding a greater share for Telangana thus attracting counter claims from the Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. This is a situation the Congress can ill-afford to face in an election year. Congress seniors appear unfazed by these considerations and insist that the party will face rout at the TRS’ hands unless it takes a forthright stand on separate Telangana.

Much of their criticism at the end of their daily conclaves is directed at the Chief Minister or his supporters conveying an impression of an ongoing struggle between dissidents and loyalists. It is reminiscent of the rebel activity in 1980 when rebels gathered at residence of the redoubtable Backward Classes leader late G. Rajaram and made life difficult for the then Chief Minister M. Chenna Reddy.

Some of these seniors have a chequered past of being pro-Telangana and pro-integration at different points in history but their political journey has always been with the Congress. They justifiably nurse a grouse that the Congress leadership has failed to recognize and amply reward their long services to the party.


From hindu

Andhra district shuts down against TRS attack on minister

Hyderabad, Jan 24 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh's Medak district shut down Thursday on a call from the ruling Congress party to protest the attack on a state minister by activists of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), who are agitating for a separate state.

Buses of the state-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) went off the roads and shops and business establishments remained closed as Congress workers enforced the strike.

TRS activists had Wednesday allegedly attacked minister Mohammed Fareeduddin during a protest in the district headquarters Sangareddy against Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's statement that it was impossible to create a separate Telangana state before 2009.

TRS and Congress workers clashed Wednesday at a function attended by the minister, and the police used force to disperse them. Later, TRS workers threw stones at the minister's convoy.

On Thursday, shouting slogans against the TRS, Congress activists took to the streets in Sangareddy and other places and did not allow buses to ply.

Following the Congress' protest, TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao Thursday cancelled his scheduled visit to Sangareddy.

TRS workers also surrounded two ministers in Mahabubnagar and Ranga Reddy district. For the last few days, party activists have been blocking convoys of ministers in Telangana region to pressure them to come out in support of a separate state.

TRS is trying to intensify the Telangana movement but the party chief has warned its activists against resorting to violence. The party has also been running a campaign against the proposal to constitute the second States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) that is supposed to look into the demands for separate states, including Telangana.

TRS, which is spearheading the movement for a separate Telangana, is opposing the second SRC on the ground that this would delay the process of creating the state.

More than 300 people were killed during the Telangana movement in 1969. The demand for separate statehood to the backward region, comprising Hyderabad and nine other districts, is over four decades old.

courtesy:yahoo.co.in

TRS offer seats to rebel Congress leaders

HYDERABAD : The Telangana Rashtra Samiti has offered safe seats to Congress leaders from the region to fuel their rebellion against the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. The Congress rebels are reportedly in constant touch with the TRS leadership seeking their help in the coming Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. A TRS source said that the leader of the Congress rebels, Mr G. Venkataswamy, was promised that the Peddappalli Lok Sabha seat would be given to his son, Mr Vivek.
Mr Venkataswamy, a veteran Congress leader, is leading the war against Dr Reddy within the party over the Telangana issue. “Some of them have been promised tickets for the next polls,” said a senior TRS leader. “Others are trying to wangle tickets for their kin.” The chorus for a separate state is at its highest pitch among Congress leaders from districts such as Karimnagar, Warangal, Medak and Nalgonda, where the Telangana sentiment is perceived to be high.
Senior Congress leaders from Telangana are reportedly moving closer to TRS as they fear the YSR camp will deny them tickets in the ensuing Assembly elections for raising the Telangana slogan. The delimitation of Assembly constituencies, which is expected to change the political fortunes of some of the leaders, is also said to be a reason for shifting loyalties.
Senior Congress leader U. Purushottam Reddy, who has been criticising YSR on the Telangana issue of late, represents the Ramannapeta constituency, which is expected to vanish after the reorganisation of constituencies. “There is no doubt the sentiment will play a major role in the elections,” said a Congress MLA from Karimnagar. “We can’t simply sit and flatter the Chief Minister when the elections are round the corner.”
This is sweet revenge for the TRS leaders who watched helplessly as the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, used his power to make rebels out of nine TRS MLAs earlier. “We are using the same formula to beat him in his own game,” said a senior TRS leader. “Many Congress leaders want safe seats and we are giving them promises.”


courtesy:andhracafe.com

Storm in Congress over YSR's Telangana remarks

Hyderabad, Jan 22 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's reported comment, ruling out creation of a separate Telangana state, has triggered a storm in the ruling Congress and caused Telangana protagonists to mount a scathing attack on him.

Former union minister and senior leader G. Venkatswamy and others termed the chief minister's remarks as "shocking" and alleged that he was creating hurdles in the creation of a separate state.

Venkatswamy, who heads a group of senior leaders favouring separate statehood to Telangana, said with these remarks the chief minister stood "exposed" before the people.

He demanded a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) to discuss the issue of separate Telangana. He said he would write to Congress president Sonia Gandhi to bring to her notice the chief minister's remarks.

YSR, as the chief minister is popularly known, denied he made any such comments during an interview to a Telugu daily. He said he only referred to the difficulties in creation of a separate state.

The newspaper quoted him as saying that it was not possible to create a separate Telangana by the 2009 elections and the party might consider the issue in 2014.

Congress parliamentarian from Nizamabad and central leader Madhu Yaskhi also took strong exception to the chief minister's comments.

Yaskhi, secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), told newsmen here Tuesday that he with other leaders from Telangana would take up the matter with Sonia Gandhi during their meeting on Jan 28.

Yaskhi, who played a key role recently in forming a group of senior party leaders to step up efforts to achieve a separate state, said such comments were encouraging anti-Telangana ministers to make statements, belittling Telangana and its leaders.

He said the central leadership of the party was being misled on the issue.

"Some forces have hatched a conspiracy against Telangana. They are deliberately making such comments and misleading the party leadership," Yaskhi said without naming anyone.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi would take the final decision on the issue, he said. "All leaders, including the chief minister, will have to abide by the decision," he added.

"What is shocking to me is that the state leadership is working in a way to challenge the central leadership," Yakshi said.

Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), which is fighting for a separate Telangana, has launched a bitter attack on the chief minister.

TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao termed YSR as "traitor", and said people would teach him and the Congress a lesson in next year's election.

TRS activists took to the streets in various cities to protest the chief minister's remarks. Its students' wing took out a mock funeral procession of YSR on the campus of Osmania University here. The party activists also staged a demonstration in Nalgonda and blocked the convoy of state minister G. Chinna Reddy.

YSR's comments came amid serious bickering within the ruling party over the issue. Despite the directive of the Congress central leadership to leaders not to make statements over the issue, those from Andhra and Telangana are involved in a bitter war of words.

Congress MP from Vijayawada L. Rajagopal and Minister M. Mareppa are targeting Yaskhi and others. Rajagopal, an industrialist with vast business interests in Hyderabad, has stated that he was ready to fight from any constituency in Telangana to prove that there was no public support to the cause of a separate state.

The demand for separate statehood to Telangana, comprising Hyderabad and nine other districts of the region, is over four decades old. The movement was revived by the TRS in 2000.

The issue was back at the centre-stage early this month when the Congress central leadership stated that it was mulling a second States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) to look into the demands for separate states, including Telangana and Vidarbha.

The TRS and BJP and Telangana leaders within the Congress party opposed the proposal on the ground that this would delay the process of state formation.

IANS

courtesy: www.mangalorean.com

Congress leaders from Telangana are said to be in favour

HYDERABAD: Congress leaders from Telangana are said to be in favour of taking a tough stand if they fail to extract a commitment from the party high command on separate Telangana during their proposed visit to New Delhi on January 28.

A dozen leaders, who met at the residence of V. Purshotham Reddy, MLA, here on Friday, reportedly decided to prepare themselves for the eventuality, including resignation from their posts, based on the response of the high command. They met to discuss their strategy in the wake of reports that the leadership had called for restraint in voicing demand for separate Telangana.

They took note of the reported remarks of AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi that the Congress would carve out Bundelkhand State out of Uttar Pradesh. They were said to be of the view that if Bundelkhand State could be created in the absence of any significant separatist movement there, there was no reason why Telangana could not be carved out when it had a long history of struggles.

Briefing reporters later, Siddipet MP Sarve Satyanarayana and MLC K.R. Amos said they were grateful to Mr. Rahul Gandhi for his gesture towards Bundelkhand and expected a similar handling of Telangana issue by the party. They had utmost confidence that AICC president Sonia Gandhi would concede separate Telangana.

Appeal to YSR


They would meet Ms. Gandhi on January 28 to explain the prevailing situation in the region and request her to concede the demand for separate Telangana before the 2009 elections.

Before leaving for New Delhi, they would also appeal to Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy to express solidarity with the Telangana cause.

Right to speak


When their attention was drawn to the Congress high command’s directive to party leaders not to publicly air their views on Telangana, they said they were it was their right to speak as it was a raging issue. There was no bar on talking about Telangana as long as a decision was not taken. Former Minister M. Satyanarayana Rao and MLCs Palvai Goverdhan Reddy, S. Indrasain Reddy, B. Kamalakar Rao and K. Yadava Reddy attended the meeting.

Telangana Congress leaders to resign after meeting Sonia

HYDERABAD : Differences within the Congress rank and file over separate Telangana issue appear to be reaching a flashpoint. While a section of the Congressmen are criticising seniors for ‘harming’ the party’s prospects by publicly criticising the party leadership, the seniors are sticking to their guns that the party will have to face ‘disastrous consequences’ if it did not clearly spell out its stand on Telangana.
Telangana Regional Development Board chairman and party MLA V. Purushottam Reddy went a step ahead in claiming that he would put in his papers the moment the party leadership indicates its stand against separate Telangana at the proposed meeting in New Delhi on January 28.
Speaking to reporters, Purushottam Reddy dared Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal to contest from his constituency Ramannapet on the slogan of united Andhra Pradesh.
“We will treat this as a referendum on Telangana. Let him contest on the united State slogan and I will bank on the prevailing sentiment among the people,” Purushottam Reddy said adding he was prepared to resign tomorrow if Rajagopal accepted his challenge.
Accepting the gauntlet, Rajagopal said he was prepared to contest from any constituency if the party high command directed him to do so. He lashed out at his detractors by saying that ‘some unemployed leaders’ of the party were trying to fuel the regional divide in the name of ‘Telangana sentiment.’
Meanwhile, Congress MLA from Nalgonda K. Venkat Reddy advised Purushottam Reddy and other seniors ‘who were on the verge of retirement’ not to create confusion among the party cadre . In the same breath, he criticised Rajagopal and recalled that the Vijayawada MP maintained silence on issues like four-laning of Hyderabad-Vijayawada NH

courtesy:www.andhracafe.com

TELANGANA

TELANGANA:

Telangana forms the core of the Satavahana Dynasty (221BC-218 AD) and in the recent history, it formed the core of the Golconda State and Hyderabad State, ruled by alien Muslim rules, Qutub Shahi Dynasty (1520-1687) and Nizam Dynasty (1724-1948), until she joined the democratic republic of Indian Union in 1948 ending hundreds of years of autocratic rule. Despite fifty-years of democratic rule, the Telangana region remains one of the most backward rgions in the entire Indian Union and remains the most backward province in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Telangana constitutes 10 districts: Adilabad, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Medak, Warangal, Khammam, Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Nalgonda, and Mahaboobnagar districts.


District Population Area (sq.km) Capital
Adilabad 2,082,479 16,105 Adilabad
Karimnagar 3,037,486 11,823 Karimnagar
Warangal 2,818,832 12,844 Warangal
Khammam 2,215,809 16,029 Khammam
Nalgonda 2,852,092 14,240 Nalgonda
Mahaboobnagar 3,077,050 18,432 Mahaboobnagar
Medak 2,269,800 9,699 Sangareddy
Nizamabad 2,037662 7956 Nizamabad
Hyderabad 3,145,940 217 Hyderabad
Rangareddy 2,551,966 7,493 Hyderabad
Telangana 23,873,307 98811

`Delhi will come to TRS` doorsteps`

Delhi will come to TRS` doorsteps`

Q&A/ K Chandrasekhara Rao

B Dasarath Reddy / Hyderabad January 20, 2008


Telangana Rashtra Samiti President K Chandrasekhara Rao tells B Dasarath Reddy that statehood for Telangana is certain before or immediately after the 2009 general elections.

The TRS has given several deadlines to the UPA government in the past. How serious and different is the latest deadline of March 6?

Only 12 months are left for the general elections and the Election Commission will not accept any policy announcement when the elections are just six months away. So, the UPA government has to take a view within these six months. January is coming to a close. If they still make some lame excuses, the real intentions of the Congress will be clear. Either we must achieve Telangana now or expose the Congress. All our legislators and MPs will resign on March 6 if the Congress and the government do not respond favourably. The Congress will get exposed one hundred per cent for its betrayal.

But similar deadlines in the past met with little success.

I declared on the day of inception of the TRS that statehood for Telangana will be achieved only by translating the demand into a political force and through the political process. Our third anniversary rally in 2003 saw the biggest turnout in the history of Andhra Pradesh. That moment, the Congress started talking about Telangana. It started printing Telangana’s map on its flag and its leaders started claiming that the Congress alone would be able to ensure statehood for Telangana. Since (TDP chief) Chandrababu Naidu was the first stumbling block, we had to join hands with the Congress to finish him off in the 2004 elections. After winning, the Congress showed its true colours. A week ago, they said the second States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was in the offing. Then they said it was not necessary. It shows their muddle-headedness. Our responsibility is to bring clarity in the minds of the people about the Congress’ deceit so that they are able to give a clear verdict based on the actions of the political parties.

Your moves have always centered around the approach and stance taken by other major political parties with regard to Telangana. Considering the experience of the last four years, can there be a mid-course correction in your overall political strategy as the issue could possibly be carried forward to the next general elections?

Not at all. It is all about creating political compulsions to make others fall in line. Lalu Prasad said his body would have to be cut into pieces before he allowed Jharkhand to be carved out of Bihar. But when the JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) won a substantial number of seats in the Assembly elections, he had to concede the JMM’s demand to ensure he became chief minister for another term. The same Lalu Prasad created Jharkhand. (Chandrababu) Naidu or YSR (Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Reddy) are not bigger leaders than Lalu Prasad. We are on the right course.

Once a protagonist of united Andhra, Naidu now says the TDP will take an appropriate decision on Telangana at an appropriate time. About 32 parties in the country have given written undertakings in favour of Telangana. The entire political environment in the country is favourable to our demand. The CPI has changed its line. The BJP National Executive adopted a resolution favouring statehood for Telangana. The only stumbling block is YSR.

Your resignations will not impact the UPA government. What do you expect from your act at the national level?

It will certainly defame the Congress at the national level while creating a big political storm in the state. A leader requested me to campaign against the Congress in the recent Gujarat elections stating it would have an impact as people knew that we were betrayed by the Congress. When I resigned from the ministry, I received hundreds of letters in Hindi from all across the North in support of my demand. This means the Congress will be shown in poor light in the North if it does not respond positively to our March 6 deadline. Sympathies for our demand are so high in the country that several top people, including governors, have personally extended their solidarity to our cause after watching a CD prepared by the party to explain the basis for its cause. Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt called me up to say he would stand by me.

What will the TRS get out of it?

We need to use all possible methods to create a polarised movement. Our resignations will bring multi-dimensional benefits to the cause of Telangana. People always adore and worship sacrifice. It is going to be yet-another sacrifice, unparalleled in the history of Telangana. All Telanganaites, irrespective of political affiliations, will unite at a peak point, for which these resignations will pave the way. That is our ultimate aim. On Thursday, we conducted a snap poll across 10 districts of Telangana on our March 6 deadline. All respondents hailed the move. The Congress leaders in Telangana are already coming out openly in favour of a quick resolution to the issue without the SRC.

You have already seen the reactions of the Andhra AICC incharge, Veerappa Moily, and Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy to your March 6 deadline. Are you still hopeful of a positive response from the UPA chairperson and the prime minister?

Telangana will come. The byelection to these seats will become an indicator of what is in store for the Congress. The entire Telangana will become Karimnagar (from where Rao was re-elected with a huge margin after resigning as MP in a challenge thrown by the state Congress leaders). With reorganisation, the number of Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana has gone up to 17 and the number of Assembly segments has risen to 119. Once we win these seats, Delhi will come to the doorsteps of the TRS office in Hyderabad. Even if we miss the chance today, we will achieve our demand then.

When everybody starts raising the Telangana pitch during the elections, do you foresee polarisation of votes?

The TRS was born for the single cause, of Telangana. Others talk about Telangana out of compulsion. People will differentiate the TRS from the rest and the two byelections, Karimnagar and Siddipet, proved exactly that.

What would be your approach to the Congress in the next elections if they announce the process for the creation of Telangana now?

Let us complete this first step first.

Courtesy:www.business-standard.com

Telangana issue hits real estate business

Hyderabad: With the Congress leaders raking up the Telangana issue, real estate business around Hyderabad has been affected. Though land prices have been stagnant, there have been no transactions, according to property dealers in the city.

Congress leaders from the Telangana region have voiced their concern over the proposal for setting up the second state reorganisation committee. A senior party leader and MP, G Venkataswamy, even threatened to resign as MP if the government constituted a state reorganisation committee for the sake of Telangana.

The Congress leaders have also warned industry to keep off from land purchases, especially around Hyderabad, saying that the new government, post-separation, may defer land purchases.

Following this threat, property dealers said the Companies which had entered into agreements have been going back on the deals. ‘‘They prefer to wait and watch the situation for some more period,’’ a major real estate dealer told FE. Though the opposition Telugu Desam Party and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi had earlier waged such threats, the Companies had continued with their transactions, he added.

Notwithstanding the hullabaloo by Congress leaders from Telangana favouring a separate state, chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy feels that since the issue has been left to the party high command, all leaders should not voice their views on it.

Interestingly, the Congress high-command has decided to postpone the issue of the state reorganisation committee due to opposition within the party. The Reddy camp, hence, feels that the decision on a separate state may be delayed further.

Meanwhile, the struggle for separate state has taken a new twist. The Congress leaders from Anantapur district have sought merger with Karnataka, claiming that the merger would benefit the farmers in the district as they could get irrigation water from Tungabhadra without any obstruction.

Courtesy: FinancialExpress

Telangana issue: sharp differences in Congress

Telangana issue: sharp differences in Congress





Seniors flayed for “unnecessarily” dragging YSR into row





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High command to be apprised of the harm caused to party by senior leaders

Resignation threat by Telangana Development Board chief V.Purushottam Reddy flayed


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HYDERABAD: Sharp differences within the ruling Congress over the ‘Telangana sentiment’ came to the fore yet again.

Even as the senior party leaders are gearing up for a meeting with the Congress high command on January 28, another group of elected representatives, including MLAs and MLCs, are up in arms against the seniors for “unnecessarily” dragging Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy into the Telangana row.

Led by Nalgonda MLA K. Venkat Reddy, they have decided to take up with the party leadership the “harm the seniors are causing to the party’s image by publicly voicing their views.” They have decided to meet here on January 23 to discuss the ‘confusion’ created by the statements of senior leaders and explain the same to the party leadership in February first week.

Selfish motive alleged


“The so-called seniors are raising the Telangana bogey as they had not been given Ministries and other posts,” Mr. Venkat Reddy said. He made light of the resignation threat by the Telangana Regional Development Board Chairman, V. Purushottam Reddy, recalling that the latter had launched a signature campaign in support of the second States Reorganisation Commission.




Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and Gone Prakash Rao

Another senior Congress leader and APSRTC former Chairman Gone Prakash Rao differed with the views of the senior leaders on the prevailing sentiment as the results of the Karimnagar Lok Sabha by-election should not be construed as a “yardstick” for the entire region.

Seniors were trying to “blackmail” the party high command for their “selfish ends”, he alleged, recalling that a majority of seniors who were voicing their views in public were strong votaries of an integrated State earlier.

TRS performance


Stating that they were not against the formation of a separate State, Mr. Prakash Rao said the elected representatives would present a clear picture on the performance of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti in different elections since 2000 and how the Telugu Desam Party, which was supporting a united State, performed well in the constituencies represented by the Congress leaders who were now strong votaries of separate Telangana.

courtesy: Hindu

Purushottam dares Lagadapati to contest from Ramannapet

Purushottam dares Lagadapati to contest from Ramannapet

V. Purushottam Reddy

HYDERABAD: Differences within the Congress rank and file over separate Telangana issue appear to be reaching a flashpoint.

While a section of the Congressmen are criticising seniors for ‘harming’ the party’s prospects by publicly criticising the party leadership, the seniors are sticking to their guns that the party will have to face ‘disastrous consequences’ if it did not clearly spell out its stand on Telangana.

Offers to resign


Telangana Regional Development Board chairman and party MLA V. Purushottam Reddy went a step ahead in claiming that he would put in his papers the moment the party leadership indicates its stand against separate Telangana at the proposed meeting in New Delhi on January 28.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Purushottam Reddy dared Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal to contest from his constituency Ramannapet on the slogan of united Andhra Pradesh.

“We will treat this as a referendum on Telangana. Let him contest on the united State slogan and I will bank on the prevailing sentiment among the people,” Mr. Purushottam Reddy said adding he was prepared to resign tomorrow if Mr. Rajagopal accepted his challenge.

Regional divide


Accepting the gauntlet, Mr. Rajagopal said he was prepared to contest from any constituency if the party high command directed him to do so. He lashed out at his detractors by saying that ‘some unemployed leaders’ of the party were trying to fuel the regional divide in the name of ‘Telangana sentiment.’

Meanwhile, Congress MLA from Nalgonda K. Venkat Reddy advised Mr. Purushottam Reddy and other seniors ‘who were on the verge of retirement’ not to create confusion among the party cadre . In the same breath, he criticised Mr. Rajagopal and recalled that the Vijayawada MP maintained silence on issues like four-laning of Hyderabad-Vijayawada NH.

courtesy: Hindu

T-state not before poll

Friday, January 18, 2008


T-state not before poll
Goa House prorogued, BJP wants floor test
Flu spreads in WB, response teams rushed
MIM men set to start a new bangle bazaar
Swords of Nizam era stolen from museum
3 policemen suspended over obscene dances
Moral police plays safe with Sarkozy


T-state not before poll


Hyderabad, Jan. 17: The Congress high command is in no mood to initiate steps for the formation of a separate Telangana before the next polls scheduled for April 2009. This was the impression gained by the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, in his interaction with the party leadership, said sources close to him. In fact, the party high command is well prepared to face the Telangana Rashtra Samiti’s offensive over the issue of a separate state.

At the same time, the efforts to arrive at a consensus on the issue among partners of the ruling United Progressive Alliance would continue. The Chief Minister’s camp was pretty sure last week that a second States Reorganisation Commission would be constituted by the end of January, but this is now ruled out since the proposal was opposed not only by all major political parties but also by Congress leaders from the Telangana region. “There is no unanimity regarding the second SRC… and now the proposal is almost withdrawn,” said the source.

He added that in this context, the demand for separate Telangana alone cannot be considered since there were also demands for Rayalaseema, Coastal Andhra, North Coastal Andhra and Greater Hyderabad. “Should we consider these also?” he asked. The Chief Minister’s camp is confident of tackling the situation which would emerge after the proposed resignation of the elected representatives of the TRS. “Former prime minister Indira Gandhi did not concede the demand for Telangana in 1969 and Andhra in 1972 though the law and order situation had deteriorated during the agitations,” said an aide of the Chief Minister. “The situation in Telangana is totally different now.”

Neither does the Chief Minister’s camp foresee by-elections being held in a hurry to fill the seats vacated by TRS representatives. “It is purely the discretion of the Election Commission, but will it hold bypolls when the general elections are just 13 months away?” asked the source. For instance, the Election Commission had declined to hold a bypoll in the Narsapur Lok Sabha constituency which fell vacant in November 1994 because of the death of Bhupatiraju Vijaya Kumara Raju and the constituency went to polls only in the following general elections held in May 1996. The Election Commission may also take into account whether 18 vacancies (including Khairatabad and Terlam) in a house of 294 members would affect the stability of the government and the arithmetic of the ruling front and opposition.

“Even if bypolls are held, it will not be a walkover for the TRS since both the Congress and the Telugu Desam have strong roots in Telangana,” said the Chief Minister’s aide. “There will only be multi-corner contests because of the disunity among other parties including the BJP and Majlis.”


courtesy:deccan Chronicle

CM betrayed the Telangana region : Goud

HYDERABAD : TDP deputy leader in the Assembly T. Devender Goud has alleged that Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy had done more loss to the Telangana by siphoning off the public money in the name of Jalayagnam.
Addressing a press conference in Karimnagar on Thursday, he charged that the Chief Minister had betrayed the Telangana region on all fronts in his regime.
“Mr. Reddy promised to complete the irrigation projects within three years, but not a single project was completed in Telangana region. Instead in the name of projects, the government had swindled crores of rupees in the form of commissions by escalating the project costs,” he pointed out.
The future of SRSP, the lifeline of Telangana, remained bleak with the ongoing Babli and other projects across river Godavari in neighbouring Maharashtra state, he said and flayed the State government for not taking any measures to stop construction of illegal projects in Maharashtra.
He also alleged that the government had prepared detailed project reports to siphon off water from the Yellampalli project to Hyderabad.He also said that the government had not taken up the survey work for the ambitious Pranahita-Chevella lift irrigation project in the region.
On the other hand, the government was fast completing the Pothireddypadu works on a rapid pace to steal the Krishna waters to Kadapa district, he alleged. He said that they would expose the misdeeds of state government and swindling of public money in the name of Jalayagnam.

Massive campaign for Telangana : Gaddar

Massive campaign for Telangana : Gaddar

HYDERABAD : Popular ballad singer Gadar said in Khammam on Thursday that a massive campaign was launched to mobilise support for separate statehood for the Telangana region. The campaign was aimed at involving all the forces for achieving Telangana.
As part of the campaign, Telangana Aikya Karyacharana Committee and the Telangana Samskritika Samakhya would organise a rally – Maha Pradarshana – at Nizam College grounds in Hyderabad on February 4. Some 10,000 artistes from different fields would take part and perform at the rally.
People supporting the demand were also expected to take part in the rally. Leaders of the Telangana Aikya Karyacharana Committee and the Telangana Samskritika Samakhya would reach Delhi with the demand on February 19 or 20.
He said that Telangana could be achieved only by fighting the forces that were against the demand and those who thrived so long by exploiting the region and its people. The struggle for separate Telangana would be intensified by targeting political parties which were out to thwart the process for creation of the new state.
He questioned the rationale behind downsizing the workforce in the Singareni Collieries. The total number of coal workers in the company had come down from 1.3 lakhs to some 60,000. It would be reduced further in the days to come. He pointed out that open cast mining had cost hundreds of villages displacing the poor.
He also opposed the Polavaram project which would be displacing hundreds of villagers in Khammam district.

TRS’ ultimatum on Telangana issue

UP IN ARMS: Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K. Chandrasekhar Rao (fourth from left) along with party men in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

HYDERABAD: The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) on Wednesday set a deadline till March 6 for a formal commitment on statehood for Telangana by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, failing which, it said, it would ask four party MPs, 16 MLAs and three MLCs to resign.

The TRS chose March 6 for resignations en masse as the party wanted to utilise the budget sessions of Parliament and Assembly to focus the seriousness of the action. Thereby, the party also wanted to give a 50-day leeway to the UPA Government to take steps, TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao told a news conference here.

Mr. Rao said the TRS decided on resignations as a matter of warning to the Government that it would be forcing elections on people which could spell doom to the ruling Congress. Moreover, the move was aimed to mount pressure on the Government to concede the demand during the budget session which was the last opportunity available for it in the current term of Parliament.

Beyond the session, the issue could not be settled due to constraints of time.

He added that the composition of the present Parliament was ideally suited for creation of separate Telangana as over two-thirds of parties supported the demand in writing.

Bus yatra


Mr. Rao also said the MPs, MLAs and MLCs would use their respective fora to explain why they had to resign and how Congress and Telugu Desam ditched people of Telangana. They would immediately go on a bus yatra to all mandal headquarters in the region to inform public. The TRS chief added that the party was left with no other option to achieve the goal of separate Telangana as the Congress was dilly-dallying after giving a firm commitment to people before 2004 elections that it would concede the demand.

In the face of growing discontent within its party, the Congress had now reversed its stand on second States Reorganisation Commission and offered to give statehood to Telangana based on the report of the Cabinet sub-committee headed by Pranab Mukherjee. If the Congress was committed to its word, Mr. Rao urged the party to inform its stand to Mr. Mukherjee’s panel, which it had not done so far, and seek the report within a week.

The Government should initiate the process of creating the State as soon as the report was obtained.

Spate of protests by TRS

HYDERABAD: Activists of the TRS held up road and rail traffic at several places in Telangana in protest against the announcement by AICC general secretary Veerappa Moily that the Congress was actively considering constitution of the second States Reorganisation Commission to go into the demand for separate Telangana. They detained the New Delhi-bound AP Express at Kazipet railway station in Warangal and a passenger train at Ghatkesar in Ranga Reddy district for a brief while.

Mock funeral


R. Satyanarayana, an MLC of TRS, led a mock funeral to symbolise the end of Congress at Sangareddy in Medak district. Later, the participants burnt an effigy near the Collectorate. Traffic came to a standstill following a ‘rasta roko’ on the Rajiv Rahadari near Pregnapur elsewhere in the district. TRS activists gheraoed Rajya Sabha member of Congress Nandi Yellaiah at a government programme at Gudikandula village of Thogutta mandal in the same district. Rasta rokos were also held in Karimnagar, Nalgonda, Bhongir, Suryapet, Mahbubnagar, Warangal, Jangaon and Khammam towns. The party supporters went round Warangal town on two and four wheelers. MLA Naini Narasimha Reddy led a demonstration at RTC crossroads in Hyderabad.

telangana-naa telangana koti ratanala veena.

telangana-naa telangana koti ratanala veena.

www.telangana.org
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www.telanganauniversity.ac.in/
www.telanganastudents.blogspot.com
www.telanganauniv.com/