Nagam Launches Telangana Unity Fast

Rebel Telugu Desam Party leaders, including suspended MLA Nagam Janardhan Reddy, Harishwar Reddy, Venugopala Chary and Jogi Ramanna, on Sunday, sent their resignations from the state Assembly to the office of Speaker Nadendla Manohar to build pressure on the Centre on the separate Telangana statehood demand.

They also launched a 2-day 'Ekta Deeksha', a fast to unite all pro-Telangana leaders.

The 4 rebel leaders began their fast at the Indira Park after garlanding a portrait of Telangana ideologue Kothapalli Jayashankar who passed away recently.

The TDP leaders' resignations came a day ahead of the scheduled resignations by Congress leaders to build pressure on the High Command to take an early decision on the separate statehood demand by creating a Constitutional crisis.

Speaking to media persons at Indira Park, Nagam said that he and the other 3 Legislators had submitted their resignations to show that they do not lag behind the Congress in the fight for Telangana.

Nagam, who was suspended by the TDP for his alleged anti-party activities, accused TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu of adopting 'dual standards' on Telangana.

"We demand that Mr. Naidu write a letter to the Union Home Ministry, stating that the TDP has no objections to the formation of Telangana," Nagam said.

He also pointed out that the party had already agreed, in principle, to the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, by allying with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi in the 2009 elections and including the separate statehood issue in its manifesto.

Nagam alleged the Seemandhra leaders were using the 'integrated Andhra Pradesh card' to keep on looting the people of Telangana.

"There is a hidden agenda of Seemandhra leaders behind the integrated AP campaign," Nagam said, "They had neglected Telangana through the years and violated the Mulki Rules and GO 610. They are now stressing on the importance of the state remaining integrated and saying that the development of the state would be hit due to bifurcation," the suspended TDP leader said.

He also lashed out at the Centre's reluctance to make public the 8th chapter of the Justice Srikrishna Committee report.

Nagam also called on all leaders from Telangana to cast aside their party flags and agendas to unite and launch a cohesive fight for separate statehood.

Telangana freedom fighter Konda Laxma Bapuji had earlier inaugurated the hunger strike camp.

The 2-day 'Ekta Deeksha' saw leaders across the political horizon making their way to Indira Park and expressing their solidarity with the fasting TDP leaders.

Among the prominent personalities seen at the hunger strike camp were Telangana Political Joint Action Committee convenor M Kodandaram, Telangana Praja Front president and Balladeer Gaddar, Congress MLCs Yadav Reddy, and K R Amos.

The TRS had already expressed its support to the rebel TDP leaders. (INN)