Elaborate security arrangements were in place for Saturday’s “Telangana Bandh” or strike called by the three major Opposition parties to demand complete waiving of farmers’ loans to bring spate of suicides to an end. State was bracing up for the first such strike to be called by the Opposition since the formation of Telangana 17 months ago.
In a rare unity of action the Congress, TDP and BJP have joined hands to make the protest against the Telangana Rashtra Samiti Government successful.
In a bid to mobilise the support of the people for the shutdown in the State Capital Hyderabad two senior Congress leaders Danam Nagendar and Anjan Kumar Yadav tried to take out a rally near Charminar. But the police took the leaders and their followers into custody as they had not taken permission for the protest.
Telugu Desam and BJP also organised a sit-in protest at the Ranga Reddy District Collector’s office in Hyderabad. l Ramanna, E Dayakar Rao and K lakshman led the demonstration.
Minister for Commercial Taxes Talasani Srinivas Yadav said the State Government was not afraid of the Opposition’s protest. “Tomorrow we will know to what extent people will listen to these parties who did nothing for farmers when they were in power,” he told the reporters.
“Congress and Telugu Desam ruled the State for the entire history of the State. What they did to help the farmersIJ Did the suicides by farmers begin only after TRS came to power,” he asked.
State Telangana Congress president Uttam Kumar Reddy, State TDP president l Ramanna, State BJP president G Kishan Reddy, leader of Opposition in Telangana Assembly K Jana Reddy and others have appealed to the people to stand up for the farmers by making the strike total and successful.
“TRS Government’s policy of waiving the farmers’ loans in phases has failed to stop the suicides,” Jana Reddy said demanding waiving the loans at one-go. He strongly objected to the adjournment of the Assembly Session without satisfactory discussion on the problems of farmers.
With three major parties supporting the shutdown, the call was likely to hit the normal life specially the public transport system. Additional police pickets were deployed in Hyderabad and all over the State to prevent any violence.