Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao, plans to undertake a ‘bus yatra’ in Telangana amid fears that the Congress—led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government may backtrack on its decision to initiate the process for separate statehood to the region.
Mr. Rao plans to launch the campaign on Monday, covering Hyderabad and nine other districts of Telangana. TRS sources said the party president decided to undertake the ‘bus yatra’ ignoring the advice of doctors to take rest.
The sources said a team of five family physicians of KCR, as TRS chief is known, would accompany him. After his 11—day fast by KCR, the central government agreed to initiate the process for the formation of Telangana.
The TRS politburo would meet on Sunday to chalk out the map of KCR’s bus journey, venues of the public meetings and other details.
The decision comes amid growing apprehension among pro—Telangana groups that New Delhi might backtrack or put the issue on the backburner. KCR has warned of a “bloodbath” and “calamity” if the government backtracked.
Other TRS sources said the ‘bus yatra’ was to counter the “false propaganda” by anti—Telangana forces that a majority of the people of Andhra Pradesh were against the state’s division.
The move has also come at a time when the ‘United Andhra’ movement in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions had intensified.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders in those two regions on Friday launched a ‘bus yatra’ while the ruling Congress and Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) leaders are on indefinite fast at several places against the state’s breakup.
Congress MPs and legislators in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema claim to have got an assurance from the party’s central leadership that the process to form Telangana would be initiated only after the state assembly passes a resolution.
With the two regions accounting for 175 seats in 294—member assembly, the Telangana resolution is bound to be defeated.
KCR claims that there was no need for moving a resolution in the assembly to form the new state. He threatened to initiate contempt of court against those demanding the resolution in the assembly, pointing out that when Gujarat was carved out of Maharashtra, the Supreme Court ruled that there was no need for passing a resolution in the assembly.
