The all-party Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Sunday night gave a call for bandh in Telangana on December 30 in support of its demand for statehood to the region.
The decision to confine itself to just one day’s bandh effectively meant ignoring a suggestion by Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) president K. Chandrasekhar Rao to paralyse normal life in Telangana with an indefinite bandh from December 29. Mr. Rao had suggested to the JAC on Friday that an ultimatum be served on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by December 28 evening that the Centre either announce commencement of the constitutional process to form Telangana or face an indefinite bandh in Telangana from the next day.
Meeting significant
The JAC meeting on Sunday was significant for the participation of all parties – Congress, TDP, TRS, Praja Rajyam and BJP. The participation of TDP was in doubt after its president N. Chandrababu Naidu and Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao traded charges in the wake of the attack on senior TDP leader Nagam Janardhan Reddy on Osmania University campus three days ago. JAC convenor M. Kondandaram brokered peace with Dr. Janardhan Reddy to pave way for the representation of the party at the meeting. Apart from Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao, former Congress Ministers, K. Jana Reddy and R. Damodar Reddy, former BJP Union Minister, Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, and several MLAs of these parties attended the meeting that went on for nearly five hours.
Other resolutions
By other resolutions, the JAC decided to persuade the Speaker of Assembly to accept the resignation by MLAs of all parties. It gave a call to organise processions and demonstrations demanding Telangana in all the villages of the region on December 28 and 29. It appealed to people not to resort to direct action or violence during the pro-Telangana agitation.
The meeting wanted advocates to boycott courts in Telangana in protest against foisting of false cases in the course of the agitation. The government acted in a partisan manner by booking about 5,900 cases in the pro-Telangana stir while only over 100 cases registered in Andhra and Rayalaseema demanding united State, the JAC felt.
Dr. Janardhan Reddy told reporters after the meeting that the TDP decided to join JAC so that there was unity among all parties to achieve statehood for Telangana.
