The ongoing politicial crisis in Andhra Pradesh over Telangana deepened with 70 legislators across party lines from the volatile region today deciding to resign in the wake of the central government backtracking on the statehood issue.
The pro-Telangana activists, including politicians, academicians and artistes, also formed the Telangana Sadhana Joint Action Committee to fight for statehood.
At its first meeting here, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) founder K Chandrasekhara Rao (KCR) said: “Forty million people of the region are in favour of a separate Telangana. The Centre should stick to its December 9 statement of initiating the process for formation of the separate state. We are not afraid of more sacrifices.”
The KCR urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take steps for the creation of Telangana. “Enough reasons and literature have been given to the Centre over the past many years for taking a decision in favour of Telangana. The movement has been garnering support from NRIs and students too. A separate state is a legitimate right of the people of this region,” he said.
He also requested the prime minister to ask Chief Minister K Rosaiah to withdraw all the cases against students.
KCR, who is a Lok Sabha member from Mahabubnagar, sent his resignation letter on Wednesday night to Speaker Meira Kumar.
Among the MLAs who decided to resign, 10 are from the TRS, 26 from the Congress, including one minister, 30 from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and two each from the Praja Rajyam Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party. In all, the Telangana region has 119 MLAs in the 294-member Assembly.
Earlier in the day, TDP MLAs from the Telangana region met at their legislative party office and decided to join the voice for a separate state. Adilabad MP Ramesh Rathod and five MLCs of the party, too, decided to quit. TDP legislator N Janardhan Reddy said the Congress diluted its earlier promise of granting statehood to Telangana.
On the other hand, Cabinet ministers from Telangana, who met state Congress committee president D Srinivas in the morning, said there should have been more clarity in Home Minister P Chidambaram’s latest statement on the statehood issue.
The ministers met Rosaiah to express their desire to quit. However, the chief minister asked them to hold back their decision and help in restoring peace.
State Information Minister J Geeta Reddy and Health Minister Danam Nagender later told the media that they would meet party president Sonia Gandhi to seek a clarity on the issue.
Meanwhile, the day was marred by violence in Hyderabad and across the Telangana region. Slogan-shouting students held a rally at the Osmania University, the epicentre of pro-Telangana agitation. Tense situation prevailed on the campus after students clashed with the police. A group of students launched hunger strike protesting against Chidambaram’s statement.
Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation buses and private vehicles were damaged at several places.The TRS has, however, called off its 48-hour bandh in view of Christmas tomorrow.
