On the 30th day of the indefinite general strike, the Andhra Pradesh government on Wednesday engaged the Telangana Employees' Joint Action Committee in talks for the first time but no breakthrough appeared in sight.
The indefinite strike of the Telangana employees, officers, teachers and workers in support of a separate state has been postponed. The Telangana Joint Action Committee on Thursday decided to put it off by about four weeks in view of the holy months of Ramazan and Shravan.
The Andhra Pradesh government on Wednesday appealed to Telangana employees not to put common people to inconvenience and invited them for talks on Thursday to discuss the strike notice served by them.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi President K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday sought to douse the controversy over his remarks that state government employees from Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra working in Telangana should go back to their respective regions, saying no one need go anywhere.
The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet sub-committee on employees has decided to invite the Telangana Employees Joint Action Committee for talks on August 5 to resolve their pending grievances and avert a strike.
The Andhra Pradesh government has asked chief secretary Pankaj Dwivedi to engage Telangana Employees Joint Action Committee leaders in talks to end the ongoing strike that entered the 31st day on Thursday.
The Telangana Political Joint Action Committee on Friday postponed the `Rail-roko agitation, earlier scheduled for October 9 to 11, to October 12, 13 and 14.
The 42-day-long strike by the government employees of Telangana region was withdrawn on Monday evening. About 45,000 employees, who had gone on an indefinite strike on September 13 in support of Telangana state, will be returning to work from Tuesday morning.
The Telangana Joint Action Committee has called for a bandh in Telangana region on Friday.
The Telangana Joint Action Committee has called for a bandh in Telangana region on Friday.
The stage was set for a do-or-die battle for separate Telangana state, as government employees and teachers of the region along with all the other sections of the society will go on an indefinite strike from Tuesday.
In a bid to carry forward the momentum created by the resignations of Telangana MLAs and MPs, the Telangana Joint Action Committee has called for a 48-hour strike in the region from Tuesday.
Telangana supporters on Thursday intensified their protests as part of the ongoing general strike that began on September 13. Mohammed Siddique reports
The police suspect that left-wing extremists may infiltrate the "Chalo Assembly" protest and spark violence during the stir called by the Telangana Joint Action Committee on June 14.
Different employees' and workers' unions of the TSRTC began an indefinite strike on Friday midnight across Telangana on a call given by the Joint Action Committee of the corporation, demanding merger of the RTC with the government and recruitment to various posts, among other things.
Amid the increasing pressure on the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy from the Central government either to end the crisis arising out of the indefinite strike of government employees or face the axe, crucial talks were scheduled to take place between the chief minister and the leaders of the Andhra Prasdesh Non Gazetted Officers Association on Wednesday.
The Centre on Thursday evening took the first significant step towards creation of a separate Telangana state from out of Andhra Pradesh and decided that Hyderabad will be the joint capital of the two states for 10 years.
A series of protests continued in the Seemandhra region of Andhra Pradesh for the sixth consecutive day on Monday against the Congress and the United Progressive Alliance's decision to bifurcate the state for creation of Telangana.
Students, employees and other supporters of united Andhra Pradesh continued protests in the Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions on Tuesday, amid indications that the ruling Congress would take a decision in favour of separate Telangana.
The TRS on Tuesday alleged that the Centre was being 'insensitive' in not bifurcating the high court so far.
Braving attacks by pro-Telangana elements, nearly one lakh employees from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions congregated in Hyderabad on Saturday for a rally, which gave the call to keep the state united.
The Hyderabad Union Cabinet's surprise and sudden move to take up the Telangana note for consideration has inflamed the passions of people in Seemandhra regions and several organisations have called for a 72-hour strike in 13 districts of two regions from Friday.
Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions continued to simmer over the proposed division of Andhra Pradesh as supporters of united Andhra Pradesh organised massive protests across the two regions.
The Congress party's reported proposal to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh has those not in favour of the move, especially in the Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions, up in arms.
The strike by power sector employees has crippled life, badly hitting hospitals and water supply in Andhra Pradesh.
It will now take at least two more years to get a clarity on the priorities and policies of the leadership of the new state of Telangana.
However police said they were investigating the reason behind his suicide.
The Congress expressed its 'whole-hearted' support to the 'Bharat bandh' called by farmer unions against the new agri-marketing laws and announced that it will hold protests that day at all district and state headquarters in solidarity with the demands of the farmers. TRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said the party rank and file would actively participate in the bandh to ensure it was a success.
With almost all opposition parties too backing the 'Bharat bandh' and many announcing parallel protests in support of the farmers, the Centre has issued an advisory directing the states and Union Territories to tighten security and ensure peace is maintained.