Long live Telangana !!

The Telangana joint action committee on Friday gave an ultimatum to the Centre to start the process of forming a separate state on December 28 or face an indefinite bandh.

The JAC, which met here to prepare a roadmap for taking the agitation forward, has asked its activists not to observe any bandh till a specific call is given. There will be no bandh on Saturday, any decision on further shutdowns will be taken only on December 28, the JAC said.

The TRS-powered JAC has avoided the weekend, when activity is subdued in any case. It expects to start afresh on Monday when it can show its muscle power. Significantly, there was no violence after the TRS chief, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, announced the all-clear on Saturday.

Violence had come down in the region after the bandh on Christmas was called off. The JAC has now strategically called for bandh from Monday as it is a working day and the beginning of the week.

The JAC asked the people to conduct protests and rallies in a peaceful manner in every nook and corner of the Telangana region till

Monday demanding the Centre to initiate the process to form Telangana at the earliest as announced on December 9.

Leaders from the Congress, TRS and the BJP, apart from representatives of employees, teachers and students associations participated in the meeting.

Prominent among them were Mr Chandrasekhar Rao, the former home minister, Mr Jana Reddy, the Congress MP, Mr Madhu Yashki Goud, the Congress MLA, Mr Damodar Reddy, the former speaker, Mr K.R. Suresh Reddy and the BJP leader, Ch Vidyasagar Rao. However, the TD abstained from the meeting in protest against the attack on its senior leader, Mr N. Janardhan Reddy. “We have discussed on the future course of action and decided to draft an ultimatum and send it to the Centre on Saturday,” said Prof. Kodandaram, chairman of the JAC.

“We will set up JAC committees at village-level and a core committee at the state-level and complete this process by Monday.” He added that if the Centre did not initiate the process by Monday, committees from village-level to state-level will intensify the agitation and observe indefinite bandh.

“Majority of JAC leaders felt that the Centre reversed its stand bowing to hectic lobbying of Andhra and Rayalaseema leaders in New Delhi,” said Mr Yashki.