Normal life was badly affected as the day-long Hyderabad bandh called by the Telangana Political Joint Action Committee as part of the ongoing agitation for a separate state, began on Friday.
The Justice Srikrishna Committee on Telangana extended the deadline for sending representations on the statehood issue till April 10 instead of March 31 as announced earlier. The Committee headed by B N Srikrishna issued a public notice, which said representations on the contentious statehood issue will be received till April 10.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, Congress leader Uttam Kumar Reddy, CPI-M state secretary B Raghavalu, PRP leader C Ramachandraiah were among those who are attending the meeting during which Chidambaram will handed over the Justice B N Srikrishna Committee report on the Telangana statehood demand.
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.
Is the Telangana Joint Action Committee, formed to take the separate Telangana movement forward, heading for a split? The resignation issue has upset a majority of the Congress leaders, who are part of the Telangana JAC, and they have threatened to pull out of it.
Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra on Tuesday claimed that the meeting of the ethics committee of the Lok Sabha was postponed to keep a Congress member away from the proceedings and adopt the report by a majority, prompting a sharp retort from Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey.
As protests continues over the Telangana decision, the Congress is making attempts to pacify the leaders from the Seema-Andhra region by setting up a high-level committee headed by A K Antony to talk to them.
Congress leaders from Telangana on Saturday asserted that there was no question of retracting their resignations, tendered in support of the demand of separate state.
Accusing the United Progressive Alliance government of betraying the people over Telangana statehood demand, Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Tuesday asked the Centre to move a bill for formation of the state in the winter session of parliament and said his party would support it.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Centre would soon form a committee which would adopt all possible ways for empowering Madigas (a SC community) with regard to their demand of categorisation of Scheduled Castes.
The leaders of the Opposition INDIA bloc are meeting on Monday morning ostensibly to redraw their strategies to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP both inside the Parliament and in the electoral arena.
Stepping up the agitation for introduction of a bill for formation of Telangana state in the budget session of Parliament, activists of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, Bharatiya Janata Party, and several other organisations staged road blockades across the region on Monday.
The Telangana Joint Action Committee and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti organised a massive rally in Hyderabad making a fervent appeal to the people of the region not to resort to suicides. Mohammed Siddique reports.
In its complaint against Shah, the Congress told the EC that the home minister claimed in a speech in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon on October 16 that "...Bhupesh Baghel's government, for appeasement politics and vote bank politics, lynched Chhattisgarh's son Bhuneshwar Sahoo and got him killed..."
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi on Sunday decided not to attend the meeting called by Home Minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi on Thursday to discuss the Justice Srikrishna Committee report on Telangana, saying there would be divergent views at the meeting as parties will have members from both regions.
The WFI will resume national camp from March 27, after after almost 16 months with Sonepat and Gandhinagar in Gujarat to be the likely venues for men and women respectively.
In fact, the students have given a call to the people to stop the ministers from entering their villages.
The `Telangana Praja Garjana' rally, to be held at the Parade Grounds, comes days after the UPA's decision to constitute a sub-committee to examine the demand.
Seat sharing and campaign is likely to be top of the agenda, they added.
Come Saturday and there may be a battle on the streets of Hyderabad between the people of Rayalseema and Telangana.
Ahead of the crucial Congress meeting on Telangana, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kirankumar Reddy on Friday met Congress President Sonia Gandhi and briefed her about the political situation in the state.
The Justice Srikrishna committee is understood to have recommended six options to deal with the Telangana statehood demand, on which the government may take a call in approximately six weeks.
Without Hyderabad, Telangana loses its charm. So, in spite of taking the issue forward by endorsing the demand for a new state, the CWC endorsement lacks the political force needed to make the idea instantly attractive.
In a big organisational rejig, the BJP named Union minister G Kishan Reddy, Sunil Jakhar and Babulal Marandi as party presidents in Telangana, Punjab and Jharkhand respectively.
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.
Veering towards conceding the demand for a separate Telangana, the Congress has convened a meeting of its working committee, the party's highest policy-making body, on Tuesday after deliberations on the issue in the United Progressive Alliance coordination committee.
A high-level committee on Thursday recommended simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and state assemblies as the first step followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday said a 'civil war' might occur if the Sri Krishna Committee fails to grant separate statehood to Telangana.
Shah also challenged the Congress to implement its Lok Sabha election promise of providing Rs 8500 monthly to women in states ruled by the party.
Telangana Rashtra Samiti, headed by K Chandrasekhar Rao, will form the government in Telangana, after results revealed that the party won 63 seats to clinch power in the 119-member assembly in Telangana.
Brushing aside opposition after dithering for nearly four years, the Congress and the United Progressive Alliance coalition on Tuesday unanimously endorsed creation of a separate Telangana state from out of Andhra Pradesh.
Carving out Rayalseema is aimed at reducing the clout and weightage of Jagan Mohan Reddy, who commands strong support in the region.
In a major success for Telangana supporters, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to withdraw the cases booked against the agitators during the protests before the formation of the Srikrishna committee by the Centre.
Widespread protests, demonstrations, road blockades and rallies were held in several Telangana districts while Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) activists allegedly attacked Civil Supplies Department's godown and burnt vehicles in Mahabubnagar district.
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.
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.
Rejecting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's appeal, Telangana protesters on Monday threatened to intensify their agitation if the Centre does not immediately announce the formation of the state even as Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrasekhar Rao declared he may go on a fast-unto-death.
The Congress appears to be veering round to taking a call on the contentious Telangana statehood issue with party leader in charge of Andhra Pradesh saying consultation process is over and time for a decision has come.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who is leading the party's pan-India Bharat Jodo Yatra on Sunday gave some exciting moments during the foot march as he suddenly started to sprint along with some school children, forcing others to run.
