Veteran freedom fighter and Telangana activist Konda Lakshman Bapuji on Thursday took out a "Save Democracy" padayatra from the historic India Gate to the Parliament House, demanding that the Centre introduce a Telangana Bill in the winter session of Parliament.
Bapuji said that the padayatra is aimed at pressurising the Centre into carving out a Telangana state.
He said that the Centre must honour the promise made by Union Home minister P Chidambaram on 9 December 2009.
He claimed that the Centre was seriously considering the statehood issue after he began his satyagraha and padayatra in the national capital.
Bapuji also submitted a memorandum to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, about the Telangana issue.
Meanwhile, Telangana Congress leaders and TDP Telangana Forum members extended their support tp Bapuji and joined his padayatra.
Congress MPs Ponnam Prabhakar, Manda Jagannatham, G Vivek, Rajaiah, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, Rajya Sabha member K Kesava Rao, TDP Telangana Forum convenor Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Gundu Sudharani and former MLC Dilip participated in the padayatra. Errabelli Dayakar Rao criticized Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao for not extending support to the padayatra. (INN)