APNGOs to resume stir; YSRC, TDP call for bandh

HYDERABAD: Cabinet nod to the T Bill seems to have put Seemandhra once again on the path of agitations. The APNGOs announced resumption of their Save AP agitation from Dec 9 to 20 while the YSRC called for a bandh Friday. Not to lag behind, the TDP too called for a 48-hour bandh.

Union Ministers from Seemandhra, failing as they did in extracting concessions on the status of Hyderabad and an attractive financial package for the region, were mum after the Cabinet decision.

Pallam Raju, KS Rao, Chiranjeevi, Purandeswari and K Surya Prakash Reddy are reportedly considering whether to submit resignations directly to President Pranab Mukherjee. Their resignations have been pending with the Prime Minister for months.

In a brief chat with reporters, Chiranjeevi said, 'We are not happy over the way the Union Cabinet has ignored our pleas on the status of Hyderabad. It is so unfortunate that our request to make Hyderabad a Union Territory was disregarded. All the Seemandhra leaders will soon hold a meeting and decide future course of action.'

His colleagues from the region ' V Kishore Chandra Deo, Panabaka Lakshmi, JD Seelam and Killi Krupa Rani ' are understood to be unwilling to quit. They are of the opinion that they should focus on extracting a financial package apart from identifying the new capital before the passage of the T Bill in Parliament.

Soon after the Union Cabinet approved the T Bill, some ministers from Seemandhra such as Anam Ramanarayana Reddy and Pithani Satyanarayana called on Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy at the latter's camp office.

Emerging from the meeting, Anam said, 'It is very unfortunate that the Union Cabinet has approved the bill ignoring the aspirations of Seemandhra people.

All the Congress lawmakers from our region will soon hold a meeting and decide what should be done when the bill is taken up for discussion in the State Assembly.' The Congress lawmakers from Seemandhra are likely to hold a meeting at the CM's camp office here Friday.

On the other hand, the YSRC, the only party still continuing its battle to keep the State united, called for a bandh across Seemandhra on Friday in protest against the Cabinet decision.

The TDP also joined chorus and called for a 48-hour bandh across Seemandhra starting Friday. Samaikyandhra Parirakshana Samiti chief and APNGOs' leader P Ashok Babu announced that they would continue their fight against bifurcation of the State till the last ball was bowled.

'We are still hopeful that the Union Cabinet's decision to bifurcate AP will face several hurdles. We will put in all possible efforts to persuade the MLAs of Seemandhra to defeat the T Bill in the Assembly. If the State Legislature vetoes the bill, I believe Parliament might not endorse it contrary to the views of the Assembly,' he said.

According to him, the APNGOs would resume 'Save AP' agitation from Dec 9 and continue till Dec 20. He said as the first announcement for creation of Telangana was made on Dec 9, 2009, the APNGOs decided to resume the agitation the same day. Nine km of human chain will be formed encircling the Indrakeeladri hill in Vijayawada on Dec 9 to mark the resumption of the agitation.

He said December 9 would be observed as Betrayal Day. Later, the APNGOs would lay siege to the Assembly when the House takes up discussion on the T Bill. He said rallies, protests, power shutdown, and highways blockade would also be resumed from Dec 9 across Seemandhra.