Former minister and senior Congress leader from Telangana R Damodar Reddy on Tuesday demanded the chief minister, N Kiran Kumar Reddy, to address the contentious issue of a separate Telangana state before conducting 'Racha Banda' program in the districts.
Talking to reporters at media point in the Assembly premises, Damodar Reddy stated that the ministers and the legislators could not possibly face the people of the region without any giving any concrete assurance on their legitimate aspirations and cherished dreams of a separate Telangana state.
He said that the people of the state were getting restless about the delay in the formation of the Telangana state, to the extent that the ministers from the region will not be able to go among them without police protection. He challenged the Telangana ministers to conduct the Racha Banda without police protection.
Damodar Reddy's statement came hours before the chief minister's scheduled meeting on the arrangements for the Racha Banda program.
The senior congress leader said that the chief minister should discuss the 'Telangana racha' before addressing other issues in the state.
"Not even 10% of people's problems were solved during the 'Praja Patham' program launched last year," said Damodar Reddy.
The former minister said that the Racha Banda would not be successful if the government is not willing to hear the real voice of the people instead of the complaints made by party workers who throng the venues in the garb of the common people.
Damodar Reddy further asked the elected representatives from Telangana to stand by their promise of submitting resignations, in the event of the centre failing to introduce the separate statehood bill in the budget session of the Parliament.
When asked if he would resign over the issue, the MLA replied "I am ready to submit my resignation from my post for the cause of Telangana."
Damodar Reddy called upon Telangana leaders not to fall in the trap of the centre's "appeasement policy", and asked the centre to stand by to its promise of the Telangana state formation.