T-Congress Leaders May Resign

The Congress leaders from the Telangana region on Sunday vowed to mount the maximum possible pressure they possibly could on the centre to table a bill on separate Telangana in Parliament.

This pressure tactic could include handing over the resignations of MPs, MLAs and MLCs from Telangana region so that the centre had no option left, stated Congress Working Committee member and Rajya Sabha MP K Kesava Rao to media persons on Sunday.

He was speaking at his residence after a meeting in which Endowments Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, MLA from Dubbak Cheruku Muthyam Reddy, former MLA Komireddy Ramulu and others participated.

Keshav Rao said that the future course of action on how to go ahead with the pressure tactics to be adopted would be decided on January 11th.

The January 11th meeting will be held at the Kalinga Bhavan in Banjara Hills where almost all Congress legislators are expected to participate.

Keshav Rao revealed that the meeting would discuss resignation of Telangana leaders from their elected posts to mount pressure on centre to introduce a Telangana bill in Parliament during budget session.

He said the Justice B N Srikrishna Committee Report never found fault in the separate Telangana statehood demand. Keshav Rao also described the Srikrishna Report as 'confusing', and stated that it would have to be studied in depth to arrive at a conclusion.

He also said that professors and other intellectuals would be helping the politicians in studying the report.

The Rajya Sabha member added that the committee's report had expressly spoken about the injustice meted out to the Telangana region all through.

The CWC invitee stated that the report should be seen in the context of Chidambaram's statement on December 9th, 2009, which had clearly said that the process of the formation of Telangana had begun. He hinted that the report was also part of that process.

He also said that the committee nowhere mentioned that the Telangana movement was wrong.

"The resignation of leaders is part of the agitation for achieving separate Telangana state. The agitation will be intensified until the centre caves in and agrees to our demand of a separate state. The meeting is aimed to persuade Seemandhra leaders, and we are ready to clear doubts over the protection to their lives in Telangana. We are ready to sacrifice anything for the cause of Telangana," the senior Congress leader said.

"Our other main demand is withdrawal of central paramilitary forces from the Osmania University campus, and lifting of restrictions on media coverage imposed by the police," he said.

Minister for Endowment Jupalli Krishna Rao said the government deployed central forces as a precautionary measure to prevent untoward incidents.

Reacting to students threatening that they would lay siege on the residences of ministers, MPs, MLAs and MLCs if the government failed to withdraw the central forces from the Telangana region, Krishna Rao hoped the Congress President would stand by the announcement made by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on December 9, 2009, and introduce a Telangana bill in Parliament.

He said the all Telangana leaders would launch a united fight to fulfill the aspirations of Telangana people.

Courtesy: INN