On Tuesday, 7 Congress MLAs asked the Telangana Political JAC to exempt certain services from the general strike.
Taking a complete U-turn, Congress MLAs from the Telangana region have partially withdrawn their support that they had extended to Sakala Janula Samme, the people's general strike demanding statehood for Telangana.
Talking to reporters at the Congress Legislature Party office in Hyderabad on Tuesday, 7 Congress MLAs asked the Telangana Political Joint Action Committee to exempt certain services from the general strike.
Citing pressure from parents, the Congress MLAs asked the JAC to exempt educational institutions from the strike.
"Parents are worried about the future of their children due to the continued strike. Therefore, in view of parents' concerns and children's future, all educational institutions must be exempted from the strike," demanded Manokondur MLA Arepally Mohan.
"Since a majority of students across the Telangana region use public transport to reach their schools or colleges, the RTC strike should also be withdrawn," Mohan demanded.
Further, he said, since farmers would lose an entire crop if they are not supplied with electricity, SCCL (Singareni Colleries) employees must also withdraw the strike. He added that all services that could affect power generation or supply to the agricultural sector must be exempted from the general strike.
However, Mohan said, employees related to departments other than education, RTC, SCCL and energy, could continue with the strike.
MLAs Ch. Muthyam Reddy, K Laxma Reddy, T Narsa Reddy, K Sridhar, Kavitha and Bandari Raji Reddy were also present during the press conference.
Earlier, barring Muthyam Reddy, all other MLAs met Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy at his camp office on Tuesday morning.
Defending the Chief Minister, MLA Laxma Reddy said that it was wrong to accuse Kiran Kumar Reddy for the political chaos that has resulted due to the general strike.
"Kiran Kumar Reddy never spoke against Telangana. As a Chief Minister, he is responsible for running the entire state, and therefore, he might have adopted a harsh tone while appealing for the withdrawal of the strike," he said.
However, Muthyam Reddy presented to the media an entirely different version of Congress participation in the Telangana agitation.
"As MLAs, we are helpless. We are not being consulted by the Centre or the High Command on the issue. Our MPs are handling the issue, and therefore, they must be held accountable for the outcome," he said. (INN)