Telangana Sakala Jana Bheri’ turned out to be the biggest ever show of strength by the support of separate State, who had flooded Hyderabad from all parts of the region on Sunday.
Hyderabad turned into pink of sea as men, women, young and old carrying banners and flags in support of Telangana surged towards Nizam College Grounds with a clarion call that their decades long struggle had now reached a last decisive phase. “No force on earth can now stop Telangana State from becoming a reality. Those who think they can stop it are living in fool’s paradise,” said Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K Chandrasekhar Rao demanding the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre to immediately table the Bill in Parliament. “Any attempt to delay it any further will only further complicate the situation”, he warned.
The pro-Telangana rally, held without any restrictions for the first time, was addressed by the leaders of different political parties including the BJP and the CPI apart from the Telangana Government employees organisations and the Joint Action Committees of women, minorities, students and advocates and other sections.
M lakshmaiah, the co-convener of Telangana JAC said that the fight for Telangana State was in fact fight for the land and water of Telangana. “The people of Telangana had lost everything including jobs in United Andhra Pradesh. Now they are hoping to get back their rightful share”, he said denying that formation of Telangana State will be an injustice for the people of Andhra and Rayalaseema. He urged the leaders of other regions not to create any blocks in the way of separate state.
Speaker after Speaker termed the anti Telangana agitation in Seemandhra region as “undemocratic” and an attempt by the capitalists and investors to perpetuate their exploitation of Telangana region. “capitalists who have huge assets in Hyderabad were behind this undemocratic agitation and they were provoking the ordinary people to fight for their interest”, said Srinivas Goud, chairman, Telangana Employees’ Joint Action Committee.
Devi Prasad, President of TNGOs Association reminded the people that this was the first time that a rally of Telangana people could be held in Hyderabad with out any police restrictions. He recalled how police used to put up barricades and create obstacles to stop people of Telangana from gathering in Hyderabad in violation of their democratic and fundamental rights.
“Andhra Pradesh is now going to be decided like any other state in the country. Where is the need for raising such a hue and cry”, he wondered.
Telangana supporters organized the massive show of strength on a day when the internal fight in state Congress over Telangana has reached a new high. Even as the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, ignoring the directives of party high command continued to show defiance and oppose Telangana, the deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha attacked him viciously. “He is a sealed cover Chief Minister (meaning he was chosen as the Chief Minister by the party’s leadership and sent his name in sealed cover). It does not matter whether such a chief minister stays or quits”, he said.