Stepping up its campaign, a grouping of political parties from Telangana on Saturday set an ultimatum to the Centre asking it to announce a time-frame by Monday for formation of the separate state, failing which an indefinite bandh would be enforced from December 29.
Sporadic violence by pro-Telangana activists in the region targeted TDP as they set on fire the party's office in Karimnagar district and burnt effigies of TDP leaders in Warangal, Nalgonda and Adilabad districts. "We will wait till Monday evening for the Centre's announcement, failing which there will be an indefinite bandh in the entire region from Tuesday," Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Chief K Chandrasekhar Rao said after a meeting of Joint Action Committee. The JAC has decided to organise protests in all the villages of Telangana within a stipulated time.
Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from Karimnagar and Medak districts of the region even as the bandh call given by JAC was withdrawn. Demonstrators set on fire TDP office in Vemulavada town in Karimnagar district, attacked a government office office in Ramgundam mandal while students carried out a mock funeral procession of TDP leaders in Warangal. TDP responded by enforcing a bandh in Mahabubnagar district condemning the attack on its leaders, including Politburo member Nagam Janardhan Reddy, by students and pro-Telangana activists in Osmania University campus here on Thursday.
In an yet another to mount pressure on Telangana statehood issue, Andhra Pradesh ministers hailing from the region, who had sent in their resignation letter to party chief Sonia Gandhi, will meet her political secretary Ahmed Patel in Delhi on Monday and seek a clear timeframe for creation of the separate state.
They have also sought an appointment from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also, according to one of the 13 ministers. "We will meet Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel, Defence Minister A K Antony and other senior AICC leaders and seek a clear statement on the formation of Telangana state," he said. Meanwhile, Congress MPs, MLAs and MLCs from Telangana region, who too have put in their papers on the statehood issue, have urged main opposition TDP to reconsider its stand and join the Joint Action Committee spearheading the agitation for a separate Telangana state. Former Home Minister K Jana Reddy said the Congress would play the key role in JAC. He, however, denied that a "deadline" has been set by them for the Centre on the creation of Telangana state. PTI
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