Bandh call for tomorrow on Telangana issue withdrawn

The second day of the bandh call for tomorrow on the Telangana issue stands withdrawn in view of Christmas, a joint action committee of Telangana leaders announced today.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the newly formed Telangana Political Joint Action Committee consisting of leaders of TRS, Congress, BJP and Praja Rajyam Party from the Telangana region.

"There will be no bandh tomorrow. The 48-hour bandh has been withdrawn in view of Christmas following an appeal made by a Christian organisation," TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao told reporters here after the meeting.

Addressing the meeting, Rao appealed to prime minister Manmohan Singh to initiate immediately the process of separation of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh.

"The entire Telangana is united now with leaders from all parties joining hands and submitting their resignation," he said. Besides Rao, the meeting was attended among others by K Jana Reddy and R Damodar Reddy of Congress, L Ramana and P Srinivas Reddy of TDP and former union minister C Vidyasagar Rao and K Lakshman from BJP.

Rao said, "Let there not be any bloodshed in Telangana. I have been pleading for the cause of separate Telangana for the last ten years.

"It is the demand of entire Telangana. It is justified and legitimate right of Telangana people. Please don't delay the process. Grant statehood to Telangana as announced by Home Minister Chidambaram earlier on December 9," Rao said in his appeal.

He said, "MLAs and MPs and all public representative across the Telangana region are quiting their posts and we are ready for any sacrifice.

"We have sacrificed our posts. We are not hankering for power. Our only agenda and only slogan is statehood to Telangana and implementation of the promise of a separate Telangana."

He alleged the state government was trying to suppress the agitation by resorting to power cuts, stopping broadcast of news on cable networks and using police force against students and other Telangana supporters.

"Such tactics will not succeed. The political class and the civil society organisations, students, employees and all sections of the society in Telangana have joined hands," Rao claimed. He also appealed to the Centre to ask the state government to withdraw the cases filed against students and Telanagana supporters.

He demanded that the government should withdraw the police contingents from Osmania University campus immediately. The meeting took a pledge to strive for the unity and realisation of the goal of Telangana.

The meeting also passed a resolution urging the Centre to immediately initiate the process of formation of a separate state.