Date:02/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/02/stories/2009010259720600.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Satyagraha marks ‘Telangana 100’ launch

Special Correspondent

BJP State president urges people of the region to wipe out Congress

Campaign aimed at highlighting the promise made by L.K. Advani on separate Statehood
It is also meant to remind the people of the history of the Telangana region

HYDERABAD: The State BJP kicked off ‘Telangana 100’ campaign on Thursday by organising a satyagraha at Koti, in which 100 leaders participated, including party president, Bandaru Dattatreya, who gave a call to the people of the region to wipe out Congress in the coming elections.

The campaign was aimed at highlighting the promise made by former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani that the process of carving out Telangana State would begin in 100 days with the introduction of a bill in Parliament if NDA returned to power at the Centre.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Dattatreya said the people of Telangana were deceived time and again.

He accused the Congress and TRS of betraying the people after coming to power on the plank of a separate State in 2004.

If the same attitude continued, Congress would be ‘buried’ in Telangana and meet a similar fate in Andhra too.

Although the Telugu Desam Party had changed its stand in favour of Telangana and various parties were trying to strike alliances, only a national party like the BJP would be able to deliver a separate State.

He criticised Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy for allotting only Rs. 200 crore for Pranahita-Chevella project while the total cost was estimated at Rs.30,000 crore.

Party’s Telangana Udyama Committee chairman, Ch.Vidyasagar Rao said the ‘Telangana 100’ campaign was taken up to make other parties ponder on the issue and recalled how all political organisations, including the Left, had observed Hyderabad Liberation Day on September 17 after the BJP began highlighting it.

He said the campaign was also meant to remind the people of the history of the region, including the armed struggle against the autocratic rule of Nizam and the sacrifices made by several people.