The 'chalo assembly' rally of the Telangana Students Joint Action Committee turned violent at several places in Hyderabad on Monday.
Dr Sangam Prithviraj Yadav, chief of the Students' Joint Action Committee for the Telangana movement, claims that the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, which has been at the forefront of the movement, is actually delaying the creation of a new state. In an interview with rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa, he explains why.
Students of Osmania University have decided to go ahead with their 'Vidhyarthy Garjana' (students' roar) rally on Sunday despite the Andhra Pradesh government refusing to permit the programme.
Even as dark shadows of a fresh intense agitation were looming large over Telangana region, students of as many as eight universities across the region have come together to take forward the movement for Telangana. A meeting of the representatives of the student community from the 8 universities has decided to form a new Telangana Universities Students Joint Action Committee to intensify the stir with out depending on the political parties or the leaders.
The Joint Action Committee on Telangana has decided to continue its protest at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and also meet President Pratibha Patil.
K T Rama Rao, Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader and son of party chief K Chandrashekhar Rao, and Dr Prithviraj, Telangana Students Joint Action Committee chief, explain to Rediff.com what the immediate changes would be in the event of Telangana being declared as a separate state.
Groups of students supporting the demand for a separate state of Telangana clashed with police at Osmania University campus for the second day on Friday.
Andhra Pradesh was paralysed by yet another bandh on Wednesday, as rival organisations called for strike in Telangana and Andhra-Rayalseema regions on the issue of their share in government jobs in Hyderabad.
The Andhra Pradesh High Court has granted permission for Osmania University students to take out the proposed rally over the Telangana statehood on Sunday.
Breaking the lull in their agitation, the pro-Telangana activists have called for a strike on September 5 to stall the Group I preliminary examinations of the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission. The bandh call has been given by the Osmania University Students Joint Action Committee to press its demand for a quota for the Telangana region in Group I jobs of the state government. Their stand is being supported by the Telangana Joint Action Committee.
With the Andhra Pradesh High Court granting conditional permission, the way is now clear for the ABVP to organise its 'Rana Bheri' rally in support of a separate Telangana state on Saturday, which will be addressed by senior party leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj.
Even as pro-Telangana students are preparing to launch an indefinite hunger strike from July 11 at the Osmania University in Hyderabad, to press for Telangana statehood demand, police on Saturday denied permission to it.
Normal life in 10 districts of Telangana region, including Hyderabad, has come to a grinding halt as the bandh called by an all-party joint action committee was total.
Normal life was badly affected in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh as the 48-hour bandh called by Telangana Joint Action Committee in support of their demand for early introduction of a bill for formation of a separate state, began on Tuesday.
In fact, the students have given a call to the people to stop the ministers from entering their villages.
The Centre may have set up a five-member committee on Telangana, but students who have been most vocal in their demand for a state feel the panel should only deal with select issues and not about the formation of the state.
Dr Sangam Prithviraj, who leads the students at the Osmania University in Hyderabad, says that they were foolish to trust TRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao and that now all students in all the 10 districts of Telangana will take the movement forward themselves.
Andhra Pradesh's 57th formation day is being observed as a black day by the people of Telangana, who have been demanding a separate state. Black flags have been hoisted over all government offices in the Telangana region.
The announcement of creation of a separate state of Telangana was welcomed with jubilant celebration on Tuesday.
Tension flared up across Andhra Pradesh on Saturday as pro Telangana students of Osmania University in Hyderabad assaulted a group of teachers from Andhra and Rayala Seema regions, who had come to evaluate B.Ed papers.
The Osmania University Joint Action Committee for Telangana has set July 10 as deadline for the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre to announce the formation of the Telangana state.
At a meeting in Hyderabad on Monday afternoon, pro-Telangana activists decided to impose a ban on all national TV channels with immediate effect in the region. These activists believe that these channels have downplayed their agitation for a separate state. The students Joint Action Committee had informed cable operators in the Telangana region about the proposed step. The operators have decided to issue a circular across entire Telangana region.
In the remand report, the police said the accused went to Arjun's house, forcibly entered the premises, beat up the security staff, and damaged the property.
The issue pertaining to the formation of a separate Telangana state is expected to heat up further with two major meetings scheduled for February 7.
In the first incident of its kind, about 100 pro-Telangana agitators stormed the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad and disrupted the Deccan Twenty 20 match between Andhra and Hyderabad cricket teams on Thursday.
As Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh remained shut on the second consecutive day in response to the 48-hour general strike call by the Telangana Joint Action Committee, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti has warned the Congress leaders of the region against any compromise with their central leaders.
Hyderabad is Telangana and Telangana is Hyderabad. There is no compromise on that. We don't have any conditions. All we want is Telangana with Hyderabad as its capital.
The protests at the Osmania University, which has been the nerve centre of the movement, have intensified and two buses have been burnt down despite heavy police presence. Protests were also witnessed at the Dharna Chowk locality in Hyderabad.
Worried over his deteriorating health, doctors have advised Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrasekhar Rao to call off his nearly ten day fast-unto-death.
The credit for the creation of Telangana goes to those who laid down their lives for the state, activists tell Vicky Nanjappa
Joint Action Committee head Professor M Kodandaram says that looking at the atrocities being committed on students by the Andhra Pradesh government, the political JAC has decided to act fast and not wait until February to start their aggressive campaign for a separate state.
A day ahead of the call for march to the legislative assembly to press their demand for a separate state, the police on Wednesday cracked down on pro-Telangana activists on the Osmania University campus, taking into custody around 50 of them.
The fast, to be held at the Jantar Mantar, would see a large number of students and politicians, Dr Sangam Prithviraj, chief of the Students Joint Action Committee for Telangana confirmed.
With the date of 'Million March' of Telangana supporters fast approaching, political temperature continues to rise in Andhra Pradesh.
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.
Further deepening the current crisis in Andhra Pradesh over Telangana, political parties and organisation of students, teachers and intellectuals have formed a new Joint Action Committee to fight to preserve the unity of the state. The new body has called for a bandh on January 4.
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.
The Andhra Pradesh Police on Tuesday stepped up security across the state saying they were well prepared to maintain law and order particularly in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions in the wake of the decision to create separate Telangana.
The party, which was expecting to win at least three seats in the region this time, feels that the statements by senior leaders L K Advani and Sushma Swaraj on Thursday are counter-productive to their future plans. Vicky Nanjappa reports
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.
