The Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) has set January 28 as the deadline for the Central government to announce a time-bound programme for the formation of a separate Telangana State.
Failing this, all MLAs from the region will stage a dharna in front of the office of Assembly Speaker N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on January 29 to press for the acceptance of their resignations. As a build-up to this action, the JAC resolved to organise relay hunger strike camps across the region from January 16 to 28. At least five MLAs have been asked to participate in the camp in Hyderabad everyday.
At a stormy meeting held here on Tuesday, the JAC called upon people of the region to hoist Telangana flags atop their houses till the Bill on separate State was introduced in Parliament and asked employees to wear black badges while attending to their duties.
Telangana Rashtra Samiti(TRS) president K. Chandrasekhar Rao wanted the MLAs to insist on acceptance of their resignations on January 18 itself, in line with a resolution passed by his party's politburo.
The last date was, however, extended after Congress representatives, including former Ministers K. Jana Reddy and R. Damodar Reddy, sought time to impress upon the party high command and convince all the Telangana Congress MLAs to put in their papers.The decision to “precipitate a constitutional crisis” by way of resignations by MLAs and MPs was taken after the TDP, TRS, BJP and MLAs of the Praja Rajyam strongly pitched for it.
Addressing the participants, Mr. Rao observed that the pressure mounted by leaders from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions turned out to be an impediment to the formation of a separate Telangana. “If they can mount pressure, why can't we?” he said.
JAC convenor M. Kodandaram said slogans of Jai Telangana would be painted on every house in the region and it would be mandatory to recite the Telangana Talli song in every school. The steering committee of the JAC would meet again on Wednesday to finalise other programmes to be taken up in the region. It was resolved to ask elected representatives at various levels to pass resolutions in favour of separate Telangana and forward it to the Central government and prepare themselves to quit their posts anytime.
