Don’t test our patience over Telangana, TRS chief warns (Second Lead)

WARANGAL - Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao addressed a mammoth public meeting here Thursday and warned the central government not to test the patience of people of Telangana any further and implement the process for formation of a separate state.

Urging the government to abide by its Dec 9, 2009 statement on Telangana, he demanded that a bill for formation of Telangana be tabled and passed in the budget session of parliament in February.

Addressing a huge public meeting here Thursday night, he announced that if the central government failed to implement its promise, a massive movement will be launched and a separate state will be achieved at any cost.

“I am warning the centre. I am giving an ultimatum. Through this Telangana Mahagrajna I would like to humbly request the prime minister that patience has a limit. Don’t test our patience. It will not be good,” Rao said.

“If the centre fails to take any step, we will start with satyagrah and go on to bring the administration to a standstill. Heavens may fall down and the earth may shake but we will achieve Telangana state,” said KCR, as the TRS chief is popularly known.

A sea of humanity descended on the town, bringing it to a halt and causing 10-km long traffic jams on the nearby roads. TRS claimed that 2.5 million people turned up for the meeting, held to mark the completion of one year of the central government’s announcement.

Earlier, a resolution unanimously passed at the meeting urged the government to table a bill in the budget session of parliament in February for the formation of Telangana state.

The resolution noted that following a mass movement, the government last year announced that the process for formation of Telangana will be initiated. It alleged that due to conspiracies of Andhra and Rayalaseema leaders, the government was delaying implementation it.

The Mahabubnagar MP appealed to people to be ready to make more sacrifices to achieve a separate state. He, however, advised them to show restraint and follow Telangana Joint Action Committee, which will soon announce the future course of action.

It was a massive show of strength by the TRS ahead of the Srikrishna Committee’s report to the central government on the demand for a separate Telangana state. The five-member panel is to submit its report before Dec 31.

The meeting coincided with the panel’s last visit to Hyderabad before submitting its report.

KCR alleged that Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan had tried to belittle the 54-year-long movement of four crore people of Telangana. “When he was asked what will happen after Dec 31, he said Jan 1 will come. I condemn his remark. This does not befit a person holding a high post,” he said.

KCR also condemned police chief Aravinda Rao’s statement that additional paramilitary forces would be deployed after Dec 31 and said the people of Telangana were not afraid of lathis or bullets.

He alleged that the agitation in Andhra and Rayalaseema against the central government’s Dec 9 statement was stage-managed by leaders of those regions.

The TRS chief lashed out at Congress party legislators from Telangana for going back on their promise made before Telangana Joint Action Committee to resign enmasse, dealing a blow to the Telangana movement when it was nearing its goal.

On Dec 9 last year, following an 11-day hunger strike by Rao, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram had announced initiating the process for formation of a separate Telangana state.

Swami Agnivesh, TRS ideologue Jayashankar, Telangana Joint Action Committee chairman M. Kodandaram, TRS MP and former actress Vijayashanti, Jamaat-e-Islami chief of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa unit Malik Motassim Khan, leaders of students, trade unions and women’s groups were among the prominent speakers.

The public meeting was scheduled to be held Dec 9 but was postponed due to heavy rains.