That's how they doused Telangana flames

Hyderabad: Being under the impression that the Congress Core Committee will take a decision on Telangana by November 5, Telangana Congress MPs have decided to stop, though temporarily, exerting pressure on the party high command.

With their decision, the Telangana movement will come to a halt as TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao has already declared that his party is adopting a strategic silence for the time being.

The MPs, however, will not be sitting idle but, to make their presence felt, extending support to former minister Komatireddy Venkata Reddy's indefinite fast in Nalgonda from November 1.

The MPs, who met at Rajya Sabha member K Keshava Rao's residence here on Saturday, came to the view that the Congress would take a decision on the Telangana issue by November 5 and would hold a meeting with UPA partners by November 9.

Those who attended the meeting included G Vivekananda, Manda Jagannadham, S Rajaiah, Ponnam Prabhakar, Gutta Sukhender Reddy, former minister Komatireddy Venkata Reddy and MLA Ch Lingaiah.

They said later that they had information that the party would hold a CWC meeting on November 5 and that would be followed by a meeting with UPA partners. After this, the party would announce its decision.

With such a prospect looming, they felt, it is not appropriate for them to intensify the movement. The meeting appealed to all ministers, elected representatives and all sections of Telangana society to boycott the AP Formation Day celebrations on November 1.

It also decided to follow TJAC's decision and urged all political parties not to take part in the state government's Rachabanda programme which will begin on November 2. With people's representatives staying away, the government would have to conduct the programme only with officials, they said.

The MPs thanked the people of the region who actively participated in the 43-day Sakala Janula Samme, and urged the government to withdraw all the police cases registered against activists during the Samme.

Speaking to mediapersons, Keshava Rao said that the present developments in Delhi were a good sign for Telangana. 'The Andhra lobby or anti-Telangana forces want to divide Telangana Congress MLAs, MPs and other leaders but they would never succeed,'' Rao said.

Ponnam Prabakar too appealed to all Telangana people to boycott the AP Formation Day celebrations. Replying to a question, he said that even if the government constructed a hundred Polavaram projects, it would not be able to stop the Telangana movement. He criticised Telangana TDP leaders' stance on Polavaram.

'When chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy himself clarified the government did not finalise the Polavaram tenders, why should Telangana TDP leaders make a controversy out of it?' he asked and answered it himself by saying the TDP wanted to divert the attention of people from the Telangana issue.

Manda Jagannatham said all the Telangana Congress MPs would visit Nalgonda on November 1 to take part in Komatireddy Venkata Reddy's indefinite fast. They would also take up several other programmes on Telangana issue in the future, he said.