Telangana supporters to undertake rail-blockade from tomorrow

HYDERABAD: Telangana supporters would undertake a 48-hour blockade of trains in the region from tomorrow as part of the ongoing general strike in support of separate statehood demand.

TRS and the Telangana political Joint Action Committee (JAC), which is organising the 'sakala janula samme' (strike by all sections of people) since September 13, have made elaborate arrangements to make the agitation a grand success, TRS said in a release.

A number of trains have been cancelled, diverted or regulated in view of the 48-hour 'rail roko'. Many South-bound trains move via Telangana region to reach their destinations.

As part of the general strike, the Telangana supporters today held rallies, fasts and other forms of protest across the region.

Schools, colleges and other educational institutions remained closed and the buses of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) continued to be suspended.

The plan of Telugu Desam leaders to hold fasts went awry as TRS and other Telangana supporters tried to obstruct them. Clashes took place between TDP activists and workers of TRS and others at some places in the process.

The TRS and others allege that the TDP does not have a clear stand on separate statehood demand and that the party president N Chandrababu Naidu is a hurdle in the formation of separate Telangana.

Congress Rajya Sabha member K Keshav Rao and other ruling party leaders expressed solidarity with pro-Telangana teachers at a protest.

Speaking on the occasion, Keshav Rao highlighted the need to secure separate Telangana.

WikiLeaks: US felt Telengana 'surrender' harmed Congress' image

NEW DELHI: By "surrendering" to the Telangana statehood demand, the Congress opened a can of worms and came across as a party that appeared "weak and feeble" and one that can be "easily bullied and intimidated by threats", according to US assessment of the situation in 2009.

In a secret cable written on December 10, 2009, then US Ambassador to India Timothy Roemer said the ramifications of the "Telangana surrender" may go beyond Andhra Pradesh as similar demands that were simmering are likely to get a fresh impetus from the Telangana movement's "overnight success".

Writing the cable a day after Home Minister P Chidambaram announced the formation of a Telangana state, Roemer said the Congress is likely to be faced with a floodgate of similar demands from other statehood movements across the country and the decision has created a split within its own party.

"...it appears to come across as weak and feeble, a party that can be easily bullied and intimidated by threats just six month after winning a decisive electoral mandate," the cable, which has now been released by WikiLeaks, said.

Roemer also termed the Government's decision as a "huge success" for the then fasting K Chandrasekhar Rao and the TRS, a party with "just two members currently in the Lok Sabha and only six in the state assembly, picking and winning the confrontation with the UPA represents a huge success."

The cable also said the Indian Government "abruptly caved" on December 9 and gave the go-ahead for formation of Telangana on the 11th day of Rao's hunger strike.

By conceding on Telangana, Roemer wrote, the Congress has potentially opened up a can of worms which was just emerging from the crisis it faced following the death of its Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in September, 2009.

72 Andhra MLAs resign over Telangana

Hyderabad: The Telangana statehood issue is on the boil again with all the 33 Telugu Desam Party MLAs and 35 Congress MLAs submitting their resignation to Deputy Speaker Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Monday demanding the division of Andhra Pradesh and the formation of a separate state.

The Congress MLAs who have resigned also include 11 ministers of the Kiran Kumar Reddy government. Four rebel TDP MLAs have also resigned bringing the total numbers of MLAs who have put in their papers over the issue to 72. Rajya Sabha MP K Keshav Rao also submitted his resignation to Rajya Sabha Chairman Hameed Ansari.

More MLAs from the Telangana region including nine Congress MPs and 53 MLAs are also planning to resign on Monday over the Telangana issue.

The Centre has also reached out to MLAs from Telangana and invited them to New Delhi for another round of talks. All India Congress Committee General Secretary and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the Telangana issue was a sensitive one.

"I am in touch with the Telangana MPs and MLAs. We are expecting some of them to reach here (new Delhi) by afternoon. I requested them to one or two rounds of talks. We are hoping for the best. This is a very sensitive issue," said Azad.

However, nine Congress MPs from Telangana failed to submit their resignation to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar as she had left her office after they failed to turn up at the appointed time.

Congress MP from Warangal in Telangana Rajaiah Siricilla blamed traffic jams for reaching late.

"The delay was accidental and not intentional. We are not against any talks but we are committed to our resignation. We got delayed due to traffic congestion. We have got the next appointment from the Speaker at 5:30 PM. We will stay here till 5:30 PM," said Siricilla.

Following the resignation of the Congress MLAs the political and constitutional crisis is likely to escalate in the state and spell trouble for Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy.

A rebel Congress MLA, Konda Surekha, also resigned from her post demanding creation of Telangana state.

Surekha, who is currently with the with YSR Congress Party of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, met the Assembly Deputy Speaker and submitted her resignation. She represents Parakala in Warangal district, the hotbed of Telangana agitation.

After submitting her resignation, Surekha demanded that Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President K Chandrasekhar Rao and Medak MP Vijayashanthi also quit their posts within 48 hours.

In the 294-member Andhra Assembly, the Congress requires 148 MLAs for a clear majority. Although the Congress has 17 MLAs from Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam Party, the mass resignation can lead to an alarming situation.


72 Andhra MLAs resign over Telangana