Telangana JAC plans parallel celebrations

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and the Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) were considered siblings in the struggle for Statehood. Post-bifurcation it has almost become a case of separated at birth with the JAC working on a plan for parallel celebrations.

As the party in power, the TRS has the advantage in show-casing the event in a massive way at the government cost while the JAC has opted for low-key programmes to mark the occasion.

The JAC has lost much of the sheen as its senior leaders with the exception of the chairman M. Kodandaram have aligned the TRS and a couple of them are now part of the Congress.

Vigilant group

Mr. Kodandaram and a few others have, however, continued the activities of JAC as a vigilant group to “protect the interests” of sections of Telangana whose sufferings in combined Andhra Pradesh were no different even after formation of the new State. The JAC recently took up the cause of the staff of the Road Transport Corporation who went on strike, and more recently, it has taken the side of students of Osmania University who are up in arms against the government over its decision to use vacant lands on the campus for construction of houses to the poor.

The JAC is now a lone crusader in its struggles as not only the TRS but all other constituents, including the CPI – ML (New Democracy) which led protests that often took a violent turn, deserting the organisation. TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had described JAC as the ‘wheel’ to run the movement when it was launched in December 2010 but today it stands in grand isolation.

Necklace Road protest factor

There are several factors responsible for the current plight of the JAC but the protest on Necklace Road on October 1, 2012, that turned violent is a prominent one. The leaders of JAC made fiery speeches against Mr. Rao as the protest continued past midnight amidst a heavy downpour. The TRS leaders who were also present chickened out.

The schism that developed on that day was never bridged even after the Statehood was achieved. The TRS and JAC also pulled in different directions in a couple of by-elections in between. The refusal of Mr. Kodandaram to contest general elections last year on behalf of TRS was the last straw.