Telangana groups to launch non-cooperation movement Feb 17

HYDERABAD - Parties and groups fighting for separate statehood to Telangana Saturday announced that they will launch a non-cooperation movement from Feb 17 to press for the introduction of a bill during the budget session of parliament.

Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other constituents of Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC), organizations representing government employees, advocates, students and others have threatened to paralyse the administration.

The groups plan to intensify the agitation to mount pressure on the government to table the bill for separate statehood to Telangana, which comprises 10 districts including Hyderabad.

JAC convenor M. Kodandaram along with leaders of Telangana government employees’ association and other people’s groups met Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy here Saturday to convey their decision to launch a non-cooperation movement in a Gandhian way.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Kodandaram said it was their responsibility to inform the chief minister and that they had met him and conveyed the decision. “We urged him to convey to the centre the strong demand of the people for immediate steps to carve out Telangana state,” said Kodandaram.

He appealed to all sections of Telangana people and leaders of all political parties to join the movement to bring the administration to a halt. He warned that people would not forgive those MPs and state legislators who stay away from the movement.

As part of the non-cooperation movement, the government employees in the region will go on an indefinite pen down strike. Employees in other public sector organizations will also stay away from their duties.

TRS chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao said buses and trains will not be operated while there will be no work in government offices, courts and colleges.

“Only god knows how long this protest is going to continue,” Rao said Friday while welcoming two retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officials in his party.

The non-cooperation movement will coincide with the beginning of the budget session of the state assembly.

The decision has been taken at a time when the central government is contemplating to convene an all-party meeting this month on Srikrishna committee’s report.

The panel, which submitted its report in December last year, suggested six options to address the Telangana issue but opined that keeping Andhra Pradesh united with special measures for the development of Telangana region is the most preferable option.