Releasing a poster in this connection at Press Club at Somajiguda, Students’ JAC Chairman P Ravi and president Rajaram called upon the students to participate in large numbers in the programme and make it a grand success. They also called upon student leaders in various colleges across the region to burn the effigy of Congress party in front of their colleges on Thursday in protest against the Centre’s delay in making announcement on formation of Telangana state.

Talking to reporters after visiting the Secunderabad Railway Police Station, where he along with other leaders was summoned in connection with a case booked against him during Rail Roko agitation, Prof Kodandaram said that the Speaker’s decision was unfortunate. However, he asked the MPs not to get disheartened and continue the agitation for the statehood. He advised them to attend the ensuing winter session of the Parliament and raise the issue of separate Telangana.

Prof Kodandaram also demanded that Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu react on the recent statement of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh wherein he stated that Telangana could not be formed without consensus. He said if Naidu remains silent on the issue, then it would be assumed that he was against statehood for the Telangana region.

The TP-JAC chairman also welcomed the statement of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati who proposed to divide her State in four parts. He asked Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to follow the suit and pass a resolution in the State Assembly for the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. He also demanded that Chandrababu Naidu support the Telangana resolution in the assembly.

They said they were prepared to face the elections, if need be. They would use the winter session of Parliament to convey their feelings to the Congress high command.

The MPs were understood to be discussing the possibility of setting a deadline, probably December 9, for the party high command to announce its stand and to address a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. In their over two-hour deliberations, the MPs opined that Dr. Singh’s statement had led to ‘anxiety’ and sent jitters among the people of the Telangana region.

Dr. Singh’s statement, coupled with the earlier remarks by All-India Congress Committee (AICC) spokesperson Rashid Alvi on the second States Reorganisation Commission had led people to believe that the Congress had betrayed them yet again.

“We will not allow Parliament to function until the Centre and the Congress high command announce their decision,” K. Keshava Rao, MP, said.

The MPs were, however, undecided over the course of action that should be adopted in this direction claiming it could not be finalised in advance. “Our action will be spontaneous based on the developments in Parliament,” Nizamabad MP Madhu Yashki said.

In Bhopal, Digvijay Singh, AICC general secretary incharge of UP, said that Congress’ stand on demands for smaller states has always been clear. “A second SRC alone can address such issues,” he said while commenting on Mayawati’s resolution in the UP assembly in support of the division of that state into smaller ones in the winter session. Digvijay also confirmed that the UP CM has written to the Centre on the issue.

AICC general secretary incharge of Uttar Pradesh Digvijay Singh said, “Our policy regarding the bifurcation of the state is very open. We demand the formation of a State Reorganisation Commission before the division of the state.” The party insists that there is a need for taking a holistic view on the issue of creation of new states, instead of selectively responding to demands as and when they arise. This also helps the Congress to buy time and delay the decision on the issue. Meanwhile, AICC spokesman Rashid Alvi said the demand for smaller states was not confined merely to Uttar Pradesh but there were similar demands from other parts as well. “The Congress takes decisions in national interest and not in response to demands from a particular state or region. Any decision should be based on the recommendations of the SRC,” Rashid Alvi said. It assumes significance in the backdrop of the demand for a separate Telangana. Responding to a question whether Telangana is an exception, Rashid Alvi evaded a direct reply, saying “It is a long-pending demand. Telangana is a sensitive and burning issue and it is better if this question is directed to the AICC general-secretary incharge of Andhra Pradesh,” Alvi said. Informally, the party leaders seem to prefer linking a decision on Telangana to the recommendations of the Second SRC. It would give the Congress High Command the muchneeded leeway and buy time to take a decision on Telangana. In the context of the raging agitation in Telangana, the party does not want to take a decision in the heat of the moment but take a considered view before making the final decision. It was pointed out that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution of October 31, 2001, was adopted in the backdrop of the separate Telangana demand within the party. The CWC Resolution favoured the setting up of the Second States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) to study the issue of creation of smaller states   Mayawati’s move is being seen in political circles as a ploy to counter the Congress campaign to get stronger in Uttar Pradesh, which has put pressure on her. At the same time, it is believed that Mayawati certainly does not want the liquidation of Uttar Pradesh, which is her stronghold. Uttar Pradesh has 80 Lok Sabha constituencies – which means there are 80 Members of Parliament, and thus the State becomes a deciding factor in the formation of any government at the Centre. In 2001, Uttarakhand was carved out of the prized hilly regions of Uttar Pradesh. At present, RLD leader Ajit Singh, who has been campaigning for the creation of a separate state out of Western Uttar Pradesh, has threatened to launch an agitation if the demand to form Harit Pradesh out of western Uttar Pradesh is not met.

In New Delhi, Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi told the media that the grand old party is for setting up of a commission to address the demand for smaller states. More importantly, from AP’s point of view, the spokesperson said in reply to a question that such acommission will also look into the demand for Telangana as well.

While the statements by these two party functionaries cannot be as yet attributed as the official stance of the Congress sans an announcement to that effect, AICC sources said the general idea was to gauge the response to the idea of a second SRC to raging demands like Telangana and new ones put forth by Mayawati. “The initial idea was to set up a Telangana regional council.But with Mayawati breathing down our back ahead of the assembly elections in UP next year with the demand for the splitting up of that state into smaller ones, a second SRC appears to be the solution to address all such demands which are sure to increase in the wake of the Telangana agitation and the UP CM’s move,” said the sources.

But in Hyderabad, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which is spearheading the separate state agitation, made it clear that the constitution of a second SRC as an answer to creation of Telangana will not be acceptable to the people of the region.

“If the Congress goes ahead with such a move, we will ensure that it is wiped out from the political arena in the region for good,” said TRS legislature party floor leader Etala Rajender. T Harish Rao, another leader, said this would amount to cheating and that his party would oppose it tooth and nail and ensure that the Congress pays a heavy price for yet another betrayal of the people of the region. The reported second SRC move of the Congress is slated to be discussed at the TRS Politburo on Thursday.

AICC general secretary incharge of Andhra Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday informed the media that a decision on Telanagana would be taken after November 10. Azad met Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday for about half an hour and apprised her of the situation in the state following the withdrawal of the strike by T-JAC and also his talks with state leaders. It is learnt that it is the UPA government which will make the announcement on Telangana and not the Congress party. The announcement will be made by Home Minister P Chidambaram. It was Chidambaram who had made the December 9 and 23, 2009, announcements on the Telangana issue. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to call a meeting of all UPA allies in a day or two to brief them on the government’s stand on the issue. There will be no further consultations within the Congress or with the various other actors in the state, it is understood.A key AICC functionary, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “We have asked the agitators to call off their general strike due to the festival season starting with Deepavali. Now as the festival season is ending on Friday, we have to take a decision at the earliest.” The UPA is now feeling a sense of urgency especially after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati had announced that she would move a resolution in the state assembly to divide UP into four new states.

Nalini is demanding that the Centre honour its promise of formation of Telangana state made by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on December 9, 2009.

Talking to media persons at Progressive Media House at Hyderguda here on Thursday, Nalini said that she has resigned to DSP post in protest against the Centre’s inordinate delay in announcing a decision on creation of Telangana state.

Nalini also alleged that she was ill-treated by her superiors hailing from Seemandhra region for raising the Telangana issue. She said that she underwent lot of harassment from Seemandhra officers even after she submitted her resignation.

She alleged that the Chief Minister, Home Minister or Director General of Police, did not take any action when she complained of harassment.

Stating that she would never join her post until the Centre announces a decision on Telangana, Nalini said that she would agitate for the statehood by taking the support of all organizations and parties.

T Rajaiah from Station Ghanpur in Warangal district, Jupally Krishna Rao of Kollapur in Mahabubnagar district and Somarapu Satyanarayana from Ramagundam in Karimnagar district joined the TRS in the presence of party president K Chandrasekhar Rao.

Satyanarayana, an independent MLA, was an associate member of Congress in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly.

The three have already submitted resignations from their posts in support of the separate statehood demand.

“The very purpose of resigning from Congress is to build pressure on the Congress high command and also on the ministers and MLAs of Congress from Telangana,” Krishna Rao told reporters here.

He hit out at the state ministers from Telangana region for not quitting their posts.

Welcoming the MLAs into the party fold, Chandrasekhar Rao said many more leaders were likely to join TRS.

“I am warning Prime Minister and also Sonia Gandhi. Not just these three MLAs, many others are ready to join the agitation, from all parties. Given the present strength of agitation, other parties will not have livelihood. If you want to safeguard your existence, keep the promise you made on December 9, 2009 (of forming separate Telangana),” he said.

Claiming that leaders from non-Telangana regions of all parties had united and submitted resignations to stall the formation of Telangana after the Centre’s announcement, the TRS president asked Telangana Congress leaders to join the agitation without further delay.

Dismissing the alleged rumour campaign by TDP leaders that TRS would eventually merge with Congress, he said the opposite appeared to be happening now.

“TRS would not merge with any party. TRS will emerge as the dominant political force in Telangana by winning all seats here and obtain separate state by dictating terms to Delhi,” he said.

Training guns on Telugu Desam Chief N Chandrababu Naidu, he said Naidu should move a no-confidence motion against the Congress government in the winter session of Assembly if he was sincere about fighting Congress.

The three MLAs said they were joining TRS with the belief that Telangana state could be achieved by participating in the agitation led by Chandrasekhar Rao.

The three Congress MLAs joining TRS is the latest in the switching of sides, against the backdrop of Telangana agitation.

Earlier, TDP MLA Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy had joined TRS.

He recently won the bypoll from Banswada. Another TDP MLA Gampa Govardhan too had joined TRS.

The strength of Congress in the 294-member Assembly was 155, and after 17 MLAs of Praja Rajyam joined it, it rose to 172. With the resignation of the three MLAs, it has now fallen to 169.

Reacting to the resignation of the three MLAs from the party, Andhra Pradesh Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana said it would not be correct to think that resignations would yield a separate Telangana.

“They might have done this for personal or political benefits. But it would not be correct to think that resignations would lead to the formation of separate Telangana,” he said.

Addressing a news conference here, the TRS chief sought to turn the tables on the Telugu Desam Party for making the allegation against him.

“In fact, it was I who have demanded cancellation of the bids before any one did.

I am opposed to Polavaram project in its present form. I demand that the Telugu Desam Party spell out its stand on Polavaram, whether it wants it or does not want it,” he said. Claiming that he knew tender process and how bids were filed, Chandrasekhar Rao said: “Just because a person who had invested in Namaste Telangana newspaper held three percent stake in a company whose financial bid was approved, one cannot jump to the conclusion that I have an interest in the bids.

It is far-fetched and baseless.” “In my 35 years of political life, I have never bid for any works. It is, in fact, the TDP’s culture of encouraging formation of syndicates to get works cheaply,” he alleged. Rao said he would never compromise Telangana movement whatever be the temptation. “The TDP has stooped to this level to sling mud on me because they were upset with the TDP MLAs joining the TRS. In fact, more TDP legislators would be joining the TRS soon,” he said. Questioning the rationale behind dubbing SEW, the company whose bids were declared as L1 for Polavaram works, as his benami company, he said, “The company was started about 55 years ago and I am now 54 years old. Does the TDP want people to believe that at the age of six months, I had a company on benami name?” Asked about a report on Polavaram that appeared in Namaste Telangana the day after the bids were finalised, KCR wanted to know what was wrong with it.

“It is a major tender and what is wrong if the newspaper reported it?” he asked.

He took exception to the TDP’s allegations that he had amassed Rs 50,000 crore wealth.

“It is a fact that I had invested Rs 4 crore in Namaste Telangana and Rs 50 lakh in T News channel, but I had borrowed the money. It was not black money and had been cleared by the Income Tax department,” he said.

source from ibnlive

Announcing his decision to go on a satyagraha here today, Bapuji, a 1969 pro-Telangana agitation leader, warned that he would organise a mass agitation in the region if the Centre does not initiate the statehood process by the end of his strike.

“I have been fighting for a separate state for over four decades now. Promises haven’t been kept, precious lives have been lost, yet there has been little progress in this issue. If by the end of this satyagraha no step is taken then we will launch a mass agitation,” he said.

Bapuji, who is also the Chairman of Telangana Freedom Fighters’ Forum, will be joined by other freedom fighters and prominent leaders from the Telangana region as he undertakes the satyagraha in Jantar Mantar here.

“The satyagraha would be from 10am to 5pm every day for seven days, starting from November one. We will begin the movement with a visit to Raj Ghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi and then move to Jantar Mantar,” he said.

In May this year, he had gone on a five-day tour covering 1,100 km in all Telangana districts along with six other freedom fighters to raise awareness on “the turmoil people in the region are put through”.

Recalling his role in the 1969 Telangana agitation, when he was jailed, the veteran lamented that little progress had been made since he first took up the cause.

“I was jailed soon after I gave up my post as a minister on March 27, 1969. For me, a separate state was more important. Four decades have passed but little progress has been made,” said the Gandhian, who also took part in the 1942 Quit India movement.

“The Centre should reiterate its commitment on the separate statehood issue and address it in a time-bound manner,” he said.

The forum has also shot off letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and other prominent Union Ministers and leaders, including P Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Pranab Mukerjee, urging them to take a decision on the issue at the earliest.

“We need a separate Telangana and that is final. We want Nehru’s dream to be realised, Sonia Gandhi’s commitment to be re-affirmed and Congress’ manifesto to be strengthened and for these to happen, a decision must be taken quickly,” he said.