Will Not Give Up Hyderabad: APNGOs

To build pressure on the Congress High Command to withdraw its decision on Andhra Pradesh bifurcation, thousands of government employees from across the Seemandhra region turned up at L B in Hyderabad Stadium to mark their attendance for the "Save Andhra Pradesh" meeting here on Saturday.

APNGOs president Ashok Babu said the people of Seemandhra are not ready to accept division or give up Hyderabad, as their livelihood is linked to the city.

He said that Indira Gandhi had ordered for a United Andhra Pradesh, but that the Congress, on July 30 this year, decided to carve out a separate Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital. He recalled that it said that the city would serve as joint capital of the two states for 10 years.

Ashok Babu strongly objected to the restrictions imposed by the police on the live coverage of the "Save Andhra Pradesh" meeting. He reminded the gathering that the meeting was conducted with the permission of the police and the High Court. He questioned the justification of the restrictions on live coverage of the event. "It is undemocratic to muzzle the voices of media," he said.

He cautioned that the APNGOs would further intensify their agitation if the rulers introduce a Telangana Bill in Parliament, not considering the sentiments of Seemandhra people. "We also have a plan to conduct a million march in Parade Grounds here," he said. (INN)