The Hindu : Separate Telangana campaign gets a boost

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 28, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Separate Telangana campaign gets a boost

By Dasu Kesava Rao

HYDERABAD APRIL 27. The cause of statehood for Telangana, espoused by the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, received a big boost when the former Prime Minister, H. D. Deve Gowda, and the Union Minister for Agriculture, Ajit Singh, threw their weight behind the TRS demand at a massive public meeting in Warangal on Sunday.

The huge turnout at the rally to mark the second anniversary of the fledgling not only warmed the cockles of hearts of its president, K. Chandrasekhara Rao (KCR), and other leaders, but made the rather complacent Congress and the Telugu Desam sit up and take notice.

The Telugu Desam and the Left parties acknowledge the backwardness and negligence meted out to Telangana over the years, but feel the problem can be sorted within the framework of an integrated Andhra Pradesh.

Congress stand

The Pradesh Congress as a party has yet to take a stand. It seeks to satisfy Telangana protagonists within the party that the high command is seized of the matter and adopted a resolution urging the Centre to constitute a second states reorganisation commission (SRC).

Today, the PCC president, M. Satyanarayana Rao, said at a press conference in Karimnagar district that they would strive for separate Telangana State if the party wrested power both in Delhi and Hyderabad.

Smaller States

At a press conference in Hyderabad, Mr. Deve Gowda favoured a second SRC to look into demands for smaller States like Telangana and Vidarbha.

He wanted the Central Government to consider the demand for smaller States on merit. The proposed SRC should evolve yardstick for each demand and not adopt a uniform formula.

Separate statehood was possible by a public movement, not by persistent exhortations of leaders.

However, judging by public response to KCR's campaign, Mr. Deve Gowda said he was convinced it was a public movement.

Mr. Ajit Singh, who missed a direct flight from New Delhi, kept his word to Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao, and flew down here via Mumbai.

The TRS chief accused the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, of seeking to "sabotage'' the Warangal show by bringing pressure on Mr. Singh not to participate.

Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao told reporters in Warangal that Mr. Naidu saw to it that the Union Cabinet met today so that the Union Minister would stay rooted in Delhi.

Mr. Ajit Singh felt the demand for Telangana grew from failure of successive Governments to address the concerns of the people of the backward and neglected region.

The demand for separate Telangana had been there right from the formation of AP in 1956.

Significantly, Mr. Ajit Singh felt SRC was not strictly necessary for formation of Telangana and that "the Union Government can do it with a simple majority in Parliament.''

Today's was Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao's prestigious show and the cadre painted the erstwhile seat of the Kakatiya empire pink, the colour of the party flag.

Mr. Rao, who led an impressive "car rally'' all the way to New Delhi recently, drove the 90-km distance from Siddipet, his Assembly constituency, to Warangal on a bicycle.

The public meeting, in which Messrs Deve Gowda, Ajit Singh and Chandrasekhara Rao are star speakers, continued till late evening.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

Stories in this Section

Separate Telangana campaign gets a boost

`CM tried to create hurdles for TRS meet'

Telemedicine centre opened at Eluru Govt. Hospital

Work on cooling towers apace

Steps afoot to further beautify Araku