Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan has expressed his deep distress and pain over the suicides by youth in support of the demand for statehood to Telangana region.
He was responding to a 20-member delegation of Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) led by its chairman M. Kodandaram that called on him here on Thursday. The team submitted a memorandum and requested him to present factual reports to the Centre on the issue and emphasise the need for statehood to the region.
The Governor appealed to the youth not to take recourse to such drastic steps like committing suicide and asked the TJAC leaders to advise, guide and counsel the youth against resorting to such extreme steps as it would leave behind a tragedy to the parents, families and society at large.
Advising them to take up a slogan against suicides, Mr. Narasimhan stated that the Centre was seized of the Telangana issue and was working to resolve it to the satisfaction of all the concerned.
Talking to reporters later, Prof. Kodandaram said they had apprised the tendency of increase in suicides after the Centre had gone back on its word about taking a decision on Telangana recently.
“We explained to the Governor that counselling will not stop suicides and only a political decision to form a separate Telangana state will stop such actions,” Prof. Kodandaram said.
There was a marked change in the Governor’s attitude towards the issue, the TJAC chairman observed and stated that they would also take the issue of suicides to the Centre’s notice.
TJAC functionaries G. Devi Prasad Rao, V. Srinivas Goud, Mallepalli Laxmaiah, M. Rejender Reddy and others comprised the delegation.
